Winter's Heart
by SoulsandSwords
Summary: Afraid, exiled, and alone, Jack Frost was born with a gift that he couldn't conceal. The Lord of Darkness is his only companion who tells him it's time to embrace who he is and let others know it. Princess Elsa is the daring and unafraid young woman who may be the key to helping Jack let it go.
1. Frost

**Souls_&_Swords: My first cross-over everyone! I really love this couple, so I thought I'd go ahead and get my desire to start this story over with =) don't worry, I'll keep up with the other ones as well! Leave your feedback and say hi if you wish! ^_^ Haha. The cover photo was made by me! Check out the full image on my deviantart; _SoulsandSwords_!**

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An eight year old boy peered over the crib at a newborn baby girl, "Dad, why can't I hold my sister?"

"Because you might hurt her." An older, gray-haired gargantuan said to him. The child's feet were clinging onto the rim of the crib, so desperate to see her face.

"I'll be careful, I promise!" the brown haired and brown eyed boy begged, hopping off of the crib and gazing straight into his father's eyes. The older man could see his son's desperation, but he couldn't take any risks—he had to numb the guilt from causing the boy's pain.

"Jackson, you know you're still too young… once you learn to control yourself, you can play with your sister all you want." He ruffled his hair, Jack however continued to grimace and he turned away.

"You say that all the time," he sauntered to the small window, watching the children enviously interact in their individual groups, "you and momma still don't even let me go outside."

"I never said it would be easy." Jack's father joined him, wishing his child could be one of them as well, "But you need to be patient. Keep learning to conceal it, and then you can be as free as you want." The pouty child crossed his arms on the windowsill.

"But if I'm concealing it, I'm not free." His father grabbed his chin and turned his head towards him.

"Jack… they just won't understand. They'll _fear _you." Blinking and mustering an even more heart-broken expression, Jack showed that he was listening, "Our village doesn't accept things they don't understand." He tried to comfort his son, give him warmth and reassurance that he'd just have to wait a little longer, but the solemn child grabbed his hand.

"You don't understand it. How come you and momma accept me then?"

"Because we love you."

…

Jackson Overland never forgot those words—despite he was content within his own home, he still longed to roam the outside world. It was 1823 when he was born in a small Norwegian village in Oslo; he belonged to Emily and Nicholas Overland, an ordinary couple in an even more ordinary place. Their son Jack was their blessing—they loved him more than anything. He never showed to be different than any other newborn; he was just as outgoing and giggly as the next infant boy. They'd never forget what an adorable baby he was, not that he wasn't growing into a handsome young man, but he was like a hand-drawn, perfect newborn, with little round cheeks and fair skin.

It was but one night during the winter that Emily woke up to her wailing infant that she saw dustings of ice and snow sweeping from outside the crib and onto the walls. No windows were open, but by the looks of it, it appeared that Jack had created the snow himself; he was lying in the frost, not covered in it. No one had a word for what it was, no books were written on such a power or curse. They couldn't explain why it happened to them, why _their _boy? There had been a lunar eclipse during Emily's pregnancy, but that wouldn't explain the strange origin of his… gift. Would it?

"Momma, can I go outside and play?" the five year old watched giddily at the other children playing hop-scotch. He bounced delightedly, waiting for her answer. Emily's grip on her book tightened; what was she supposed to say? She couldn't tell an innocent child a harsh NO when he hadn't done anything to deserve punishment. She didn't turn to him, Emily knew that if she saw the smile she was about to erase, the excitement and joy that was about to vanish, she'd lose her strength. She closed the book and inhaled.

"…No." she mumbled. It was so soft that she hoped he hadn't heard it, but unfortunately, his hops ceased and he held his mouth agape.

"Why not?" oh god, she hated that question. He was sweet and enjoyable at home; it was a shame that the other children couldn't get to enjoy his company as well. She fluffed her short brown hair in an attempt to calm her nerves, keep herself from going hysterical at rejecting her poor son. She knew it wasn't fair.

"You know why, Jack." She gritted through her teeth; sure he _knew_,but he didn't understand. Saddened, the child peaked through the window one more time, the kids were having so much fun, laughing and jumping with each other.

"But momma," he approached her, ready to negotiate, "I promise I'll be careful." He laid his head on her lap, "Really." His high-pitched innocence tore guilt in her heart. Nicholas was better at this, but he was out logging with the other men, getting logs for fire for the upcoming winter. She sighed and stroked his soft hair.

"I know you'd be careful Jack, but you could have an accident and hurt somebody." Shocked by such a statement, his head jerked up and he looked straight into her eyes, "And you don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No!" he shook his head frantically, "I won't hurt anyone though, I-!"

"Jack…" she held his face gently, easing his distress, "One day things will change… just not today." His disappointed eyes scanned the room.

"So… tomorrow?"

Touched and pained by his innocence, Emily sighed and grinned. When he was finally settled into bed and said goodnight to his mother and father, they lied restless in their bed, "What are we going to do? He just wants to have fun with the other kids."

"Em, you know that's a risk we just can't take." He lied flat on his back, staring into the ceiling, Emily rested on her side with her arm propping her up. She couldn't stop thinking about Jack's heart-broken face.

"But he's so lonely; it's not normal for a child to be isolated from other kids like this."

"It's normal when your son can make it snow in the middle of summer!"

"Shh!" she sat up, used to putting up with Nicholas' temper, despite he was trying to be protective, "Yes, we know… and he knows too."

"But how do we make him understand?" he joined her in an upright position, he was more angry _for _his son than _at _him, "We can't tell a child that his powers will cost us our home."

"He just wants somebody to play with…" despite his parents were his occasional playmates, they weren't enough, he needed someone he could bond with, someone hisage that is. They intellectually knew what he needed, a sibling. But they weren't ready emotionally… what if it had powers too? And what about Jack? He wouldn't be able to play with it anyway, at least until he learned to maintain caution. The couple decided to wait until he was old enough to understand. Eight, they decided, was their best bet. By the time their second child was old enough to actually play, Jack would be capable enough to control his gift. They'd planned it all out so it was tragedy-proof.

Despite the first year or two of look-and-don't-touch for Jack and his sister, Sophie, was hard… he finally found his inner peace. When he was with Sophie, nothing could go wrong he thought, it was unconditional love. They looked just alike, she had straight brown hair that soon ran down her back and large amber eyes. Every morning when Jack left his room, Sophie rushed towards him to embrace him.

"You're my friend, Jack!" she'd squeal as a toddler, "I love you." She smushed her face into his chest. He was strong enough to lift her slightly. He smiled, remembering his father's words.

"I love you too."

Despite this, he always felt jealousy and bitterness towards her at times. Unlike him, Sophie was free to run outside and play, while he made up excuses about 'working with their dad' that he couldn't join her. Sometimes he found himself gritting his teeth at how lucky she was, not born a freak like him. At age fourteen, however, he learned to be happy for his sister, a long process of becoming content and letting go of his temporary resentment.

"Jack!" A six year old's excited, yet drowsy whisper stung his ear, "Jack!" he felt weight drop on his back as Sophie bounced, "Wake up, wake up!"

He groaned sleepily, he didn't even blink his eyes, "Shh…" he turned over, "What is it?" he wiped the pounds of sleep dust from the corners of his eyes. How was Sophie so excited in the middle of the night?

"The moon looks so big tonight!" she jumped off the bed and tugged at his hand, "Let's go outside and see it!" Jack's heart fluttered and he jerked up.

"Outside? No, no, no." He chuckled, trying to seem casual, "It's late." He went to lay back down, "And plus, it's winter, you'll get sick."

"Hm…" Sophie sighed sadly. Jack, feeling accomplished, closed his eyes. Reasoning with a six year old wasn't too hard… or was it? He heard a voice in front of him, and strikingly close to his face, "Psst!"

He opened his eyes and grinned, "Can I help you?" He whispered, tickled by her persistence. She slid back off of his bed and held her hands together.

"Please?" She begged silently, her smile was too enthusiastic to resist. Jack sat upright, unsure about this decision. He knew she'd pester him all night if he didn't give in, but he could get noticed if an 'accident' were to happen. But he loved his sister, and this would be a small task of love… so nothing could go wrong, right? He smiled and raised a brow, giving Sophie hope.

"You promise not to tell mom?" He whispered jokingly. Sophie's wide smile said it all. Before leaving, he dressed her in her favorite dress followed by a warm pair of boots and gloves. Jack wore a white v-neck and long-sleeved undershirt with a brown vest and brown trousers. He quickly grabbed a brown poncho to cover himself from the cold and some boots.

"Come on, come on!" She dragged him by the hand as he tried to keep her quiet. She jumped and pushed the door open, but before he could follow his jovial sister outside, he stopped and widened his eyes. This was wrong… the village was so serene and quiet, that was because no one knew his secret, not even Sophie. He'd kept it hidden from her, he'd spent days locked in his room when he couldn't control it sometimes… but that was if he was feeling scared or sick. Jack froze in place and hesitated, unlike Sophie who'd dashed far ahead of him. She pointed to the sky, "Jack, look! Look!" she pointed at the large moon, its effulgent light limned the night sky. He gazed at the grey and white being, it hypnotized him… it told him not to be afraid, at least it made him not want to be afraid anymore. He snapped out of his thoughts when Sophie grabbed at his hand, "It's so pretty!" He looked up once more, it seemed so far away.

He smirked and for once, felt playful with his younger sister, "Why don't we get a closer look?" The two both liked that idea, and Jack carefully led her out into the wooded area, where it was more isolated. The trees weren't blocking it, instead they framed the moon.

"Whoa!" Sophie pointed up, Jack wasn't looking at the moon, but everything around him. He felt himself letting it go, finally relieved that it was just him, him and someone he loved that is, his powers couldn't hurt anyone.

Then he heard his sister's laughter. That's right… he was a threat to his sister too, but not if they loved each other… right? God it was so overwhelming, so confusing.

"Jack, look!" he heard the sound of crackling, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sophie put her foot onto a frozen over pond. It was thin and about to break.

"Sophie!" He shouted, "No, no, no!" He was frightened from the sudden change of atmosphere. What was he doing? He shouldn't be out there… especially with his sister. How could he have been so selfish? Just wanting to see the outside and endangering his sister. She lightly retracted her step as it crackled.

"It's not frozen underneath, Jack!"

"I know!" He rushed behind her and grabbed her by her torso, "But if you fall in that could kill you!" he ranted, worried. The six year old squirmed to get out of his grip.

"Aw, I just wanna play…" That hit home for him. All of his childhood he'd just wanted to play, the ice and snow especially appealed to him. Who was he to endanger his sister… but who was he to take away her fun?

Once… just once. It wouldn't hurt anyone. They were all asleep. No harm would be done. Gently releasing her and shutting his eyes, he decided it was time to let it go. Smiling he turned Sophie towards him, "Wanna see a magic trick?" Blinking her large brown eyes, she smiled and gasped. That was a yes indeed. Smirking, Jack rubbed his fingers, Sophie giggled… just then, snowflakes bursted in a flurry from his hands as he twirled them. Sophie was awestruck, dumbfounded. She never imagined that her brother had such a talent, Jack twirled and waved his hands some more as he summoned his ice powers. Looking at Sophie for approval so that she was ready, he filled the woodlands with mounds of fluffy snow, turning it into Sophie's own playground.

"THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" She shouted so loudly it echoed into the night, back into the village. No one was surprised that it was icy or frosty, but people would be a tad shocked when they stepped outside and saw it snowing in a single area. Jack watched her run around to catch the snowflakes with her tongue, she collapsed in the pile to make a snow angel. He laughed, at last he knew what joy his powers could bring. She jerked upright, throwing the frost everywhere; he'd have to dust her off before they returned home, "Do it again Jack! More!" she ran towards him.

"Alright!" He waved his hands some more, his sister copied his movements in complete amazement, he created a swooping ice slide. He helped her get to the top and watched as she zoomed down the icy curve. She flew off and landed in a soft, fluffy mound of snow Jack had quickly created, "Careful!" he called with a chuckle. Unbeknownst to the two, a few parents had heard the shouts and left their homes to investigate who could be up so late. A few people had left their houses, all adults, some of the kids were awake from the sounds of their parents and joined them.

"What on earth?" A woman watched a single cloud raining snow hovered above the wooded area near by.

"Is that snow?"

"Yes, but it's never done that before."

Nicholas crept out of bed as not to wake the kids and peered out of the window; indeed there was a flurry of snow raining down on the woods, but how could… oh no. He woke Emily and demanded they quickly check the children's beds. Emily was hopping about on the frozen river, it crackled underneath her feet, "Freeze it, Jack!" he bursted ice under her feet to keep her steady, she playfully tried to skate along his icy path, "Again!"

"Wait!" He tried to keep up with her, but each time she jumped, the ice became weaker and weaker, and he was going far too fast for him to keep up, "Sophie, you're going too fast!" he tried to shout, but she was fearless, sliding and hopping on his frosty path. He heard the ice about to give way, and before he could create her own platform, he missed and instead, cracked through the ice. He heard Sophie gasp and fall in. He heard the fearful cry of his name as he, without hesitation, jumped in after her.

"Where are Sophie and Jack?" Emily asked one of the villagers.

"I don't know, I haven't seen them, but look at that, that is bizarre!"

"What is it doing now?" Someone yelled, they looked up to see the serene flurry becoming a hail storm as they heard brontide. Jack had emerged with his sister from the pond, Jack was unaffected, but Sophie was shivering and holding herself—she was in pain. Jack cradled her tightly.

"It's okay!" He reassured frantically, he saw her blue lips and the frost in her hair, "You're okay Sophie." He was had collywobbles as he shook from the fear he'd done. Ice cracked below him, it was spreading all throughout the woods. Alarmed, he hefted his ill sister and watched as the wind rose and weather began to whip around above him. He could tell she was in paresthesia. He rushed her back to the village, not expecting to see men, women, and children all awake. To make it worse, Jack saw his own parents before him.

"_Jack!_" Emily caterwauled as she grabbed Sophie, "What have you done?!"

"It was an accident!" The fourteen year old welted up, "I didn't mean for this to happen!" Nicholas stroked Sophie's hair and nudged Emily towards the house.

"Jack, this is why you should never leave the house!" He stood over the young man, now enraged, guilty, and puzzled.

"I couldn't take it anymore! I just wanted to let my sister have fun!"

"And that's your excuse? You're coming back inside!"

"Dad, no! I can't live like this anymore." He begged. The adults, slightly intrigued by the argument, stayed, their children clung to their sides. Emily, tightly cradling her daughter watched somberly through the window, she'd wrapped the poor girl in a blanket, "Just please listen!"

"Jack! You can't just…" He sighed, shutting his eyes and nearly giving in he turned away, "Do whatever you want, but stay away from Sophie." Emily gasped from inside the house as her Sophie regained full consciousness and saw her brother outside. Once Nicholas saw the pain and hurt on his son's face, he turned to flee back inside their home.

"No!" He shouted, "She's my family, you said people who love me will accept me!"

"Enough, Jackson!"

"What is it, are you saying one accident and you don't love me anymore? Just say it then!" he felt growing fury.

Nicholas opened the door, "Just come inside-"

"No, you never tried to help me, you _never loved me_!" he swung his hand to the right and one sweep of his open palm caused the exterior of a neighbor's home to ice over. A loud gasp from the small crowd roared in his ears. The children began to shout and scream as the adults panicked.

"What is that?!" Jack, frightened, took a step back to try and explain, but one step caused a trail of ice to rush towards a water well and coat it with ice. The children began to scream.

"He's not human!" A child wailed. Jack began to ventilate heavily and he looked at his pale, frosted hand. A swirl of cold air swept across the village as Jack fled back towards the woods, leaving ice and snow in his wake.

"No! Jack!" Sophie shouted, fighting her way out of her mother's arms. Her parents tried their hardest to grab her, but she'd suddenly regained her strength despite still shivering. She followed his icy trail. Jack heard a familiar voice cry for him as he looked over his shoulder. He took one step back into the lake. His boot touched the lapsing waves and caused them to freeze. He took another step as a sheet of ice bloomed under his foot, "Jack!" He turned back… he saw the desperate look on his sister. Sophie had deep despair in her eyes, she was still holding herself, still shivering… it was his fault. Giving one last pained look, the fourteen year old sprinted across the pond. Jack moved at full speed, rushing towards the mountains far ahead of the village. Sophie went to rush after him, but Emily grabbed her, slipping on the ice. She cried out Jack's name over and over as the mother tried not to cry herself.

Nicholas watched as his son was already too far ahead to catch… not before he caught Jack's final look back at his family. Still, he fled. With a heavy heart of regret and depression, Nicholas felt his knees crumple as he fell to them.

…

The young man trudged up the steep mountains, far away from his home. The life he knew was over, he gazed back at his tiny village down below… no one would ever accept him again… no one would love him. Yet a tiny part felt relieved that his family was safe from him, especially Sophie. As he continued up, he grew more tired as his steps slowly got heavier. He could never go back, but he could never live with anyone else ever again either… he was meant to live alone. He knew that he couldn't live on as Jack Overland, the monster… using the ice that encased his heart, he conjured a new appearance; he became more ghostly pale, he frosted his hair to pure white as he eyes went from fawn, to a striking blue. The moon would be his only companion as he watched the white, pale being observe his transformation. He didn't know where he'd live for now, but the cold was nothing to him.

He gave himself a new name so he would hopefully forget who he was. He was Jack Frost.


	2. Unfortunate Fates

Away from everyone. That's how he lived. Jack Frost never forgot who he was on the inside, but it was that very identity that kept him isolated from the world, living high up on a mountain in an exquisite ice palace he'd made; forever hidden thanks to his powers. He made the mountain too frigid and too dangerous for mortals to climb and find him. Despite he was still a 'physical' mortal; he didn't consider himself human anymore. Jack would create snow patterns in the air for his own amusement, his powers ever growing as he played around and practiced with them more. For three years, the now seventeen year old boy learned how to manipulate the frost, ice, and snow—he could even create living creatures out of them, disappearing into the winds upon his command.

Jack Frost wasn't _completely _alone all this time—another man who lurked the shadows had kept him company, brought him food and water since he was able to slip through the night and day going unnoticed. Pitch Black was the lord of fear—a tall, lithe man with dull gray skin like the moonlight and golden eyes like an eclipse. Like Jack's unfortunate fate, Pitch was forced to live on as a shadow, no longer providing the fear and torment to children as he pleased. He too, was shunned from his family for what he was, and was surprised to find a lonely, malnourished fourteen year old boy wandering the mountain years ago. When the boy showed no fear, it was disappointing; fear was Pitch's cruel delight… but he listened to him; Jack longed for a companion in him.

He had powers that were much more draining when it came to learning to control them, much more malevolent in nature; Pitch Black was the king of darkness—He could traverse great distances through shadows and darkness; he could literally _become_ a shadow. While literally hiding in the darkness, he couldn't be touched or seen unless he deliberately made his presence known. As darkness is everywhere, Pitch can appear from any shadow or dark corner almost instantly. He too has dark magic, the man that was once called Kozmotis Pitchiner was accused of studying alchemy and dark arts—he could create black sand that induced fear and that could be morphed into any object. He once playfully accompanied Jack by creating a throne out of black sand and the young man's ice, calling Jack Frost 'the king' of their palace. Despite this, Pitch preferred to dwell in the underground tunnels or caves, places where it was always dark.

The two were mysteries in the world; Jack never found the courage to return to his village and rekindle the relationship between him and his family. He thought about Sophie everyday… not a moment passed where he didn't regret his mistake. Only Pitch was there to listen to his anger, his guilt, to see his tears. They were ghosts who lived in peaceful, happy solitude where they could use their powers freely—Jack was in a place where he couldn't hurt anyone, and Pitch was somewhere where someone could at last see him. Pitch wasn't quite as at ease as Jack believed. Despite content that he had a companion whom he looked over, he needed to feel the same power and fear that people once felt towards him. But because the 'boogeyman' was such a widely told tale and children stopped worrying about him, he was nothing _but _a shadow. Not to Jack.

To Jack, he was a friend.

"Daydreaming again, Jack?" Pitch greeted the pale young man, his hair as white as the snow that surrounded them. He gazed longingly down at the kingdom far below the mountains. It was a lovely little kingdom called Arendelle, no commoners were to enter it without an invitation or a really good excuse, one should say. Arendelle was home to the King and Queen of Oslo. King Erlend and Queen Agnes were beloved by all of their subjects. It was late August, so it was complete green forestry in the distance. Whenever Jack felt lonely and began to miss his family, he'd look out at Arendelle and pretend he belonged there; he would pretend he was normal again and he would be accepted. In his hand, he held a staff that had a _G _shaped arch, like a shepherd's crook. He used it to channel his powers—Pitch had fashioned it for him when the young teenager was just learning how to use his powers. Jack soon realized that he'd used the enchanted staff for so long that he was almost a part of it. If the staff were broken or battered, Jack would feel immense pain. Pitch warned that because of their two powers infused into the staff, if it were snapped in half, Jack would go unconcious. If it were destroyed, he would slip into a permanent coma.

With his hand pressed into his cheek, he blinked back into reality, "That's all there is to do around here!" He hopped up, his boots making deep footprints in the fluffy mounds of snow, "I was wondering if anyone looks up here from down there thinking," He sighed and raised his voice an octave, "Gee, I wish I could live on top of a mountain where it's so high up that it's always cold." Pitch chuckled slightly. In Norway, their summer temperatures were only about seventy degrees at most.

"If you keep it up, autumn will pass and you won't even know it!" He patted his head and looked out at the small, discrete village surrounded by a fjord down below, "Psh… the only thing charming about that place is the castle, I'm sure the rest of it was just as dull and bland as your own village." He was getting tired of Jack's desperate longing to be a part of society again. Despite he was fond of Jack personally; Jack's _fear _of hurting others with his powers was what kept him in the mortal world. If that were gone, then he'd vanish for good. It was a necessity to keep him isolated and afraid—as much as it hurt Pitch since he'd raised Jack like a brother, he was all he had. It was a confusing twist of emotions; he wanted Jack to have freedom, but he _needed _him to be afraid of it too. Jack grimaced and thought about his family—Sophie was always the first thing that jumped to mind when he thought of home. She'd be nine by now, he thought. He wondered if she'd recognize him with his blue eyes and white hair, because heaven knew he'd spot her out the moment he saw her.

"Ignoring the fact that there's a castle in the middle of it all?" He smirked, contradicting Pitch's comment.

"You know what I mean, I'm sure the people there are prestigious and snobbish." He went on, self-assured by his assumptions, "They're definitely shallow and judgmental, only accepting royalty in their presence." He grinned and felt sarcastic, "But what do _I_ know? I've only been in every corner of the country!"

"Alright, alright Pitch." He leaned into his staff and looked out again, "I get what you're saying… but wouldn't it be nice to just feel that warmth?" He began, dreamily, "To know that feeling of what it's like to be surrounded by people again?"

"To know what it's like to have people _fear _you?" It was a 'family' joke between the two. Fear was what Pitch wanted, while it was Jack's enemy. Jack's heart skipped a beat when he reminded him, "You know I hate to do this to you, but when you get caught up in these fantasies of yours, you forget the reason as to why we're up here." He put an arm around Jack and walked him over to the castle he'd made, "Besides, you've got your own palace right here!" They marveled at Jack's work; from the shimmering frozen staircase that extended upward to the icy castle; massive pillars of gleaming ice supported the structure, it was covered by crystalline patterns of snowflakes. It was quite a gift he had, but there was still something missing.

"Yeah…" He sighed, giving Pitch what he wanted, "You're right, I think about things too much." He playfully swung his staff and snowflakes swept into the air, being carried off by the wind towards the palace, "I've got all I need…" Jack finished, faking any sign of satisfaction he had to give for Pitch. As the dark, tall man smiled and left, his dark robe trailing behind him with each step, Jack walked to the ledge and looked on again—the colorful Arendelle was only a distant fantasy; despite he wanted to be down there so badly, he knew what would happen if he went down there.

The snowflakes flew over the kingdom unnoticed, everyone was preparing for a very special event, a woman was baking tons of pies and setting them across a long table. Her son tugged on her apron, "Momma, can I have a pie _now_?" He asked for about the fifteenth time since she'd risen that morning to start baking them. She was the pastry make for the King and Queen. She smiled and lightly nudged the boy away.

"No, I told you, this is for the royal celebration tonight!"

"Why did you make so many? Surely I can have one and no one will know!"

She giggled, "This is for the King and Queen, it's Princess Elsa's birthday today!"

Another couple walked by to wait by the gates leading to the castle; many people wanted to be the first ones to enter. They were dressed regally, "I can't remember the last time I saw the Princess make an appearance, oh, I bet she's as darling as ever! An angel!" The lavishly dressed woman grew giddy, her husband patted her shoulder.

"I'll bet she's as charming as our King and Queen."

Arendelle's fair Princess Elsa was indeed all these things; beautiful, with pale skin with a light dusting of freckles, long platinum blonde hair, and twinkling blue eyes, standing at five feet, ten inches, and had a curvy, yet slender body. Charming, never raising her voice and only speaking when spoken to. What no one realized was the princess was a nervous wreck as she stuffed a hand full of dark chocolate sticks into her mouth. Her teeth crunched them as crumbs fell onto her dark blue dress. She held the can close to her body, curled up on her bed in hiding. The moment she swallowed, she popped the rest of the treats into her mouth. All Elsa could think of then was how she wished she had some milk to accommodate the delicious chocolate. She _wished _that was her biggest worry, what was truly bothering her was having to perform the 'poised princess' act in front of Arendelle again. Someone knocked at her door, startling her.

"Princess Elsa?" The maid, Gerda, gently summoned her. Elsa jumped up and stuffed the lid back onto the can. She quickly swallowed.

"Mm-_yers_?" She called, mouth still full of chocolate, she swiped the crumbs off of her dress in every direction and hid the can under her bed; it was her secret stash, "Yes?" She corrected, she nervously dug her nail into her teeth, digging out anything that might've been stuck, oh thank god no one was there to see her!

"May I come in?"

Elsa rushed to the body-length mirror to check her hair, wrapped up in a neat bun, "Just a minute, Gerda, I'm getting dressed!" She lied. She swiped on her dress some more, making sure everything was perfect. She stood straight up and held her hands together behind her back, "Alright, come in!" Gerda laughed and entered the room.

"You _sound_ like a Princess." She giggled at how powerful her voice had just sounded, "A beautiful…" She closed the door behind her, "…Eighteen year old Princess." Elsa looked at the woman and sighed, "Oh god…" She felt tears coming on; she'd raised Elsa since she was born, never thinking there'd be a day where she'd be looking _up_ at the Princess, "Eighteen… eighteen." She still couldn't believe it.

"Please stop saying eighteen." Elsa begged, allowing her anxiety to come out into the open. Gerda was like her grandmother; always there to be a playmate when her parents were busy, always there to share tea or a story with her, always there to tuck her in at night. Always there to let Elsa hide her face in her shoulder whenever she was upset… Elsa's parents were simply too busy for most of these things; she only saw them very scarcely, such as meals or royal gatherings like this.

"Oh, but you turned out so well…" She caressed Elsa's cheek, bringing a smile to the nervous young woman's face, "Your parents are so proud of you." Gerda assured, but Elsa lost her grin and walked towards the window. She peered through the closed drapes, "If everything goes well tonight, they will be." All those people that were gathered at the gate… all just to see her.

"They don't know how nerve-wracking this is!" Elsa dropped the blue drape and looked away from her soon to be audience.

Gerda hated to see her favorite person in worry; Elsa was the one she loved most in the world… and everyone, including her husband, knew this, "Do you want me to have a word with them?" She chortled with a sincere heart.

"You know my parents, they don't wanna hear it." Elsa knelt down and slid the can of chocolate sticks out again, knowing Gerda wouldn't tell a soul, "All they want is for me to put on a show." She took out the dark chocolate wafer, only for Gerda to lower her hand.

"Elsa, what others want of you isn't your concern…" The wise woman smiled at her granddaughter-like figure, "What makes _you_ happy is all that matters." Elsa felt confliction, despite her smile, there was worry in her eyes.

"I want to make my parents happy." She sat down on her bed, "_That's_ what makes me happy." Although she hated to admit it, it was true. Pleasing her parents gave Elsa a grand satisfaction, since it was so rare to hear praise from her own mother and father. There wasn't much she could do for herself, since she was _born _to be a Princess and then later a Queen. She didn't know any of her subjects personally like her parents did, but what they thought of her was only a reflection of her parents as well. She _had _to be a chameleon with her emotions… just go with it.

"Elsa, I think you try to please people too much… Sometimes it's best to say what _you _think is best instead of just being another face in the crowd." Elsa smiled, wishing it was easier than Gerda had just said it. She then had the dark chocolate stick teasingly snatched from her hand, "And I think it's best that _I_ have this chocolate!" She rushed out the halls, remembering she had to finish preparing the salad plates and dusting the glass antiques. Instead of grabbing after it, Elsa snorted and shook her head. If only she were as calm as Gerda… if only she'd could please her damned, stern, almost non-existent parents.


	3. One Moment

Before noon, Elsa's dress was stitched and pulled tighter; she wasn't exaggerating when she made choking noises as her breasts were squeezed against her lungs. The skirt hung loosely like a ball gown, the long sleeves felt like cardboard on her arms; she'd be waddling to the front of the castle that day, some of her mother's old handlers painted Elsa with blush and mascara. Her eyelashes stood up high. She couldn't keep up with any of them as they crowded her in the large, grand washroom.

"Look up, honey!"

"Open your mouth, sweetheart." They all talked to her affectionately as two of them tried to do her eye makeup and put on fuchsia lipstick at the same time. One of them brushed her fingers through her fine hair.

"Uh oh, it's already getting oily!" Elsa's blonde hair, though lovely, was thin and easily got greasy if not washed daily. She kept it pulled up so often that no one could notice, her blue eyes widened.

"I washed it last night!" She was hoping she wouldn't have to throw off her tight dress and have them sew it back together right then and there. Getting ready was _never _easy in her home.

"Well, we're gonna have to wash it again." She took the bobby pins out of her hair to let it out of its bun and held it up as she walked with her to the sink.

"But wait!" Another one called, "Her face will get wet and it'll soak the makeup off!"

"Well…" She gripped Elsa's fine locks as the Princess knelt over the washbasin, "Then we'll just have to put it back on."

Elsa growled with frustration as the hot water blasted over her hair and dripped down her face. She shut her eyes as the maid violently pulled and ferociously scrubbed her hair with the shampoo and softener. Some even got in her mouth and she had to spit it out. Being a princess wasn't always _fine treatment_ like everyone thought. Once it was over, they toweled it dry and pulled it back up again, her bangs swept on the left side of her forehead. When she was all made up, the maids cooed and adored at her. They nearly teared up at how the 'little princess' was now an adult. Smiling as much as she could, she waited at the bottom of the stairs like she was told until the King gave her the cue. Elsa knew Agnes and Erlend were outside when she heard the crowd roar with delight and awe. She was sure they were all bowing and curtsying. Elsa looked exactly like her mother—her face and all, with the exception of Agnes's dark hair. Erlend had tawny hair; no one explained where her blonde came from.

If it were dishwater blonde, perhaps it would make sense; but instead she had platinum blonde, it was appeared white from a distance in the correct lighting. She couldn't space out now; she had to make sure she walked outside at the right time! Agnes looked at her husband, who smiled and nodded. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, the crowd went silent, "On this day eighteen years ago, I was given the greatest blessing God has ever given me." Elsa approached the doors, her heart pounding, she breathed out and tried to blow her fears away. She pressed her hands against the castle doors and waited, "A girl who grew up to be an intelligent, proper, and much adored young lady." Adored by everyone but her parents, that was, Elsa rolled her eyes just before she could step outside, "Please welcome on her eighteenth birthday… My daughter, Elsa!" This was it…

She pushed the heavy doors open and her mother and father stepped to the sides to let the audience give their attention. Entranced by her beauty and the grace she showed as she calmly stepped to the front and stood tall among her subjects. The crowd applauded as the King and Queen joined her at each of her sides, the royal family of Arendelle had united the village to celebrate once again, and they were the hosts. Gerda was at the side of the courtyard, in tears along with the other handlers who raised the precious girl. Agnes's eyes slowly turned from the crowd to her daughter, speechless for the moment.

"You look beautiful, Elsa."

Surprised that they were willing to have a conversation at that moment, Elsa flinched and awkwardly looked at her, "Oh, thank you." She quickly curtsied, "Mother, father." She had practically saluted both of them, "You both look very… regal, today." Erlend grinned.

"Thank you." Elsa was quite surprised that they were speaking to her. All they ever normally did was have her stand in silence and in posture to look good for Arendelle. She couldn't help but let a smile swipe across her face—even though it was strange; she always had to keep a straight face in front of crowds. Elsa wanted to say more, but Kai, Gerda's husband and the royal handler spoke to the audience, startling her.

"Attention everyone, please join us in the ballroom for dinner and dancing! This celebration goes on into the wee hours of morning, so let's get started!" The man enthusiastically gathered everyone into the castle, where drinks and food were served. All the children wanted to see the princess and say hello. Elsa lost count of how many times she had to get on her knees to hug the children. They always warmed her up, but gave her envy as they lived much easier lives, dressing the way they wanted, not having to brush their hair every time a strand stuck out. As they jubilantly ran back to their mothers, Elsa stood straight at the end of the ballroom. Not daring to go for the cake or treats, knowing she'd gorge herself from the stress she was feeling. She couldn't slip away either, she had to make a speech later on about 'her duties as a Princess and how she shall fulfill them.' She hated that ridiculousness—Elsa always sneered or over exaggerated it when she practiced in her room or with Gerda.

She knew she had hours to endure; there was dinner, dessert, dancing, the speech, and then the midnight ball. It was all the same in Elsa's mind. Just another performance she had to put on for everyone. As hours slipped by, she began to feel more and more relieved that the night was almost done, but also more nervous because of the speech she'd have to make.

Up on the mountains, Jack exited his home; he was bored of experimenting with his magic and he didn't have Pitch's company at this hour. He'd love to watch the sunset but the castle doors faced east. He couldn't watch the sunset without having to reconstruct his entire castle or having to find a path to the other side of the mountain. Jack preferred the sunrises anyway—it was amazing how the sun could sink to such a dark level, but then rise again every day. The sky was an incredible pink and orange that evening… a perfect time to watch Arendelle and daydream yet again, only this time without Pitch's interruptions. He sat down and leaned dreamily into his staff again, he grinned just thinking of how wonderful it must be to have a family, to be accepted to have… _warmth_.

Jack Frost was protected from the cold thanks to his powers, but he never knew what true internal warmth felt like. He couldn't describe it, but it wasn't the physical warmth he wanted—he had plenty of that. Jack wanted… he wanted… oh god, he didn't know the words. Yet he felt like if he tried to find them, it would cause him pain, a deep emptiness that grew each day. Everyday there was a hole in his stomach that grew day by day. Not even Pitch's company could fill it, for he only spent so many hours a day with him lately.

He saw the street lights flash on, limning the lovely little town. The lights illuminated the halls of the castle, a castle that was only a distant fantasy. Jack had his own sanctuary, it sparkled in the brilliant sunshine… but it wasn't quite as magical as the castle in the middle of the fjord of Arendelle. Why couldn't he be grateful? He asked himself every day, he was free from hurting people, but if he could just touch…

No!

He couldn't touch any living thing without freezing it. His damned curse prevented him from doing so! That's why he couldn't go down there! That's why he could never return home. Wherever that was. Jack stood up and his boots sank in the snow; just as he was about to walk back into his frozen home and spend another night unsatisfied once again, he stopped. If there really _was _an important gathering that night, then no one would certainly be wandering the streets! A glint of hope sparked in his chest, and he trudged hurriedly down the mountain. Using his staff as support, he slid down the fluffy slope.

"Just for tonight!" He told himself aloud, "No one has to know!" By no one, he meant Pitch. No one would be outside, he told himself. And even if someone saw him, he'd just keep silent, return to the mountain and go back into hiding. It's only one night! Just an hour, a minute was all he needed! Then he could say he knew what it was like to trod a village, a kingdom! Maybe this was the thrill he'd been needing for so long!

A man read aloud from a transcript he'd found. The villagers were sharing their poetry and own speeches before the royals performed theirs.

_Oh what a tangled web we weave_

_When first we practice to deceive!_

It was a beautiful poem, Elsa prayed it wouldn't end; this was the last of the subjects to be performing. Then it was the King… then it was her. Her father and mother stood in front of her and behind her respectively. There was no escaping now, Elsa bit her lips and held her hands low in front of her body, the thins of her palms were sweating. Stay calm, she told herself. She was in control, she reminded herself. Just say a few nice words about being a princess and about Arendelle and then she was done. She could scrub the goop off her face, throw her hair down and change into her loose, flowing nightgown. Just the way she liked it. The night was almost over. She was lost in her thoughts when the audience began to clap.

Oh god, she was next! She clapped too; despite she hadn't heard a word other than the first two lines. Erlend looked at Elsa and nodded, "Remember, Elsa, tonight is about you!" She wished he hadn't reminded her. She smiled at her father and listened as Kai announced the King. Erlend stood up, well postured and reserved, so proud and calm. Elsa envied his strength, if only he'd been around to teach her how to act like so! Agnes held her daughter's shoulder, so proud of her, if only Elsa knew it.

"We all know why we are gathered here tonight." His voice was so powerful. He was like a god among the men, his voice echoed against the large ballroom walls, enhancing his charisma and voice, it could even make Hercules feel meek, "For eighteen years we've raised Arendelle's pride, our treasure. She has grown into a royal blooded young woman who shall, one day, be running this kingdom… this country maybe!" Elsa sank where she was, the speech was ending, she could tell! What was she supposed to say again?! Drat! "And tonight, you people of Arendelle have the gift of meeting her tonight—for she has given us the gift of her presence."

No, no, no, no…

"Please bow and praise thy Princess, my daughter, Elsa of Arendelle!" The men and women got down on one knee and cheered. Agnes gently nudged on Elsa's back; making her heart leap. Her knees were shaky, but she couldn't hold back—her father was holding out a hand, waiting for her. The smile on Erlend's face only made it worse, Elsa gulped and took his hand; her legs felt wobbly and weak as she stood up in front of the audience, taking the single step that led up to the throne. Erlend stepped away and presented her like a trophy. The few people who had yet to see her up close _ooh_-ed and _ahh_-ed. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks were red, Elsa swallowed her tongue and watched the crowd like a deer in the headlights. Paralyzed.

_Silence…_

They waited to be struck dumb, fascinated. Elsa found herself at a loss for words, fearful in the eyes, she looked for Gerda. But she was lost in the crowd. She looked towards her mother who gestured her to go on with the speech. Why was this so difficult?! She fiddled with her hands and bowed her head—which was almost an illegal thing to do in royalty! Erlend quickly gave her a look of disapproval which, thank heaven, she did not see, "I…" Her lips were quivering as she gazed back at the faces of her people, "I honor this position as Princess of Arendelle." Erlend nodded, much more satisfied, Agnes was relieved, "It's truly a wonder that all of you are here to-to celebrate my birthday…" The words were there, _not JUST my birthday, my coming of age!_ But she couldn't bring herself to say them, she didn't mean it. Elsa fiddled with the sides of her gown, "But…" She bit her lip, looking at her feet again. Gerda was in the corner, now worried for the poor girl. Erlend was getting angry; he started to look at the confused audience.

"But I must say…" Elsa had to say what she felt, "Being a princess isn't always this glamorous." She noted, starting to feel calmer, "It's a lot of stress in looking good and—getting ready, and you hardly get to see your parents."

"What?" A woman was shocked. The crowd began to murmur. Agnes showed sudden worry, but Erlend quickly glared at Elsa. How dare she speak such words!

"You know, I grew up hardly ever getting to leave the castle, I hardly even get to leave my room!" The crowd was still gasping and whispering. Erlend was clenching his fist, the Queen, meanwhile, put a hand over her heart and tried to calm her husband from the other side of the throne area, "Which is why, during moments like this, I truly am grateful that I get to see my subjects in person and see how the village has been keeping up! It's very beautiful by the way." She complimented everyone in keeping Arendelle in shape—she couldn't see much through the castle windows. Gerda snickered at her blunt honesty. Erlend couldn't take much more, the shame! "But most of all, it's an honor that I-"

"Elsa!" He whispered into her ear, grabbing her wrist, "May I have a word with you?" She'd done it now… and she knew it. But she felt relieved at least. She curtsied to her audience one last time.

"Of course, father. Thank you, everyone." The crowd went talking about the family in a different light at normal volume. Gerda looked petrified as she watched Erlend drag Elsa out to the hallway and Agnes quickly rush towards them.

"Are you out of your mind?!" He shouted, slamming the doors behind him.

"No!" Elsa hardly had family moments, but when she did, they were usually like this, "I was told, by _you_, that I had to give an honest speech on how it felt to be the Princess!" Though it wasn't directly said by Erlend; he'd told Gerda to tell Elsa.

"You embarrassed me in front of half the kingdom!" Agnes rushed through the doors and closed them, but the fight was already heated, "I can't believe my own daughter would have the nerve to disgust me in such a way!"

"Erlend! Don't be so harsh!" Agnes shouted, "But Elsa, you knew better than to-"

"Than to what?!" She interrupted her, indeed having _nerve_, "Tell the truth? It is lonely and stressful in this house! I don't even feel like a princess, I'm just… just… a show!"

"A show?!" Erlend repeated.

"Yes! A performance that's put on every so often to remind Arendelle why its King and Queen are 'amazing!'"

"Elsa, no princess would act this way!" Agnes replied, but Erlend pushed her hand away. The eighteen year old didn't respond, she didn't have any words left in her, just anger.

"You indeed aren't a princess, you're a disgrace!" Those words bore like arrows into her flesh. Agnes, shocked by her husband's words now changed the direction of her anger.

"Erlend!"

"No! You couldn't follow orders; instead, you acted like a distasteful lout!"

"ERLEND!"

Elsa couldn't take much more anyway. Before Agnes could take back the King's words, Elsa rushed down the halls and through the doors that led to the castle garden. Upon seeing his daughter fly away in such pain, he felt it himself. Regret building in his chest, "I hope you're happy!" Agnes hissed, "If anyone ruined this party, it's you!" She turned away and stormed back into the ballroom. He didn't have the nerve to go after Elsa nor to join his wife. Instead, he left to the lounge room; maybe warm tea would calm his nerves.

Jack finally made it to the castle and crept through the open gates. He heard the voices from inside, but decided to look around the area instead. How long had it been since he saw greenery up-close? He saw a large, metal gate and pushed the door open. He worried that the loud squeaks would get him caught, but there was so much going on that no one noticed. Jack was amazed by the beautiful colors of the flowers around him, the green leaves that created a pattern of the moonlight.

He reminded himself _look, don't touch!_ But it was difficult; Jack wanted to feel the smooth pink and blue petals of the effulgent Blåveis… He remembered as a child his mother always brought fresh-picked flowers to the house and placed them in a vase on the dinner table; it made the house smell like spring. Jack remembered that smell; especially after it rained his mother would go hunt for flowers, bringing in the scent of petrichor. He sighed, trying to make those memories fade. Then he heard crackling. Frost formed under his boots and was creeping towards the trees. It must've been the sadness he felt. Just in that moment, he'd lost his control!

"No, no, no!" He called, horrified. The frost missed the flower patch and climbed up a tree's bark, "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" He grit through his teeth, trying to halt it… it slowed and slowed, so painfully close to the leaves. It stopped, beginning to thaw into little water droplets. Relieved, Jack realized he had no business around living things and went to leave. But he heard something, like someone gasping. Had he been caught?! Jack heard it again, someone sounded like they were in pain. He couldn't leave them there… but if he touched them he would—this was difficult.

Slowly sneaking through the garden, he found a path of floral gazebos, where the sounds of someone ventilating were present. Jack _felt _someone was near, but he didn't know what. Princess Elsa, meanwhile, was standing near the flower hedge, leaning against a gazebo wall. She held herself as she spasmed and sobbed, weeping so dreadfully; her face was red and she was sure her makeup was running. She didn't care. Elsa wiped her eyes once more, trying to keep quiet so no one would 'check on her' and drag her back to the party. Jack crept over the corner to see… a woman! He hid, darting out of sight, but his gasp caught Elsa's attention.

She halted her weeping and looked to her left, "Hello?" Her voice sounded gentle and fragile, yet nurturing. Jack didn't know why, but he was reminded of home when he heard that voice. Jack peered over the corner once again, he stepped out into the light to see the moonlight shine before him… perfection. He didn't notice her pain, only burning curiosity as Elsa observed him… so beautiful… so painfully beautiful. Her sapphire eyes that twinkled, her pale skin like the moon… her hair pulled back so perfectly that she could pull of having a pixie cut. Jack was in awe… who was this beauty he was gazing upon? They stared each other down like animals.

Who was this young man? She didn't recall seeing him before. And his appearance… he looked like a villager—but his eyes were too blue… his skin and hair were white. Was he a shepherd? The staff would hint at it. A shepherd's son, maybe. With intense wonder, they continued to gaze at each other curiously. Elsa quickly wiped her eyes and straightened herself out. Jack said nothing and gingerly looked away. She went to speak to him.

"Elsa?!" It was Gerda. Jack looked back at her; Elsa reserved herself once again… Glancing at him for another moment, she rushed back into the castle; leaving Jack amazed… he felt something he'd never known before. He watched as he would probably never bump into her again…

* * *

**Souls_&_Swords: Hello, everyone! I can't answer any questions without spoiling anything, so… they'll be answered as you read on. Please listen to **_**We Were So Close**_** from the **_**Frozen **_**soundtrack; that's what inspired Jack and Elsa's meeting scene at the end here! :)**


	4. Approach With Caution

Jack hurried back up the mountain; he worried that the woman, apparently named 'Elsa', would reveal him to anyone. No streams of frost were left behind him; thank heaven, as he began to slow his steps, returning to his palace of ice. Even then, he couldn't stop thinking about Elsa, why would a woman be alone on a night as special as this? Especially when she looked so elegant… that wasn't the princess he'd stumbled upon, was it? Oh well, it didn't matter; she'd probably forget his face by dawn, probably even at that moment.

That was unfortunate for Jack; he had another curse aside from frigokinesis, he _never _forgot faces. He never forgot the faces of the horrified villagers that screamed out 'monster' when they saw his power, he never forgot the last glimpse of his family's heartbroken faces when they watched him sprint across the pond and away from home, he'd never forget the face of that beautiful young woman he'd seen.

But most of all… he'd never forget Sophie's face. His sister was white as paper thanks to him when he last saw her, trembling from the cold and sobbing hysterically. He tried to think of Sophie in present time. Jack couldn't believe it had already been three years since he last saw his family. He wondered if his mother still kept her hair short, or if Sophie's hair was still long. His father probably still had his thinning gray hair. At least he hoped. The years had gone by so quickly it seemed. If it hadn't been for his curse, there would be no ice castle on top of the northern mountains. The palace was centered on the hexagonal shape of a snowflake; Jack Frost truly lived up to his name. He walked up the staircase that leads to the double doors. With a wave of his staff, they opened by themselves and closed behind him. Jack never knew why he made it so exquisite if it were a home just for one, he'd modeled it after Arendelle, upon seeing the beautiful architecture of the castle down below.

It was when Pitch was helping Jack learn to control his powers and test his limits… there seemed to be none with his icy magic, as the castle stood high and proud. The bottom floor had the throne that he and Pitch created out of dark sand magic and ice and a frozen ice fountain. Jack ignored how they still sparkled so beautifully in the moonlight and walked up one of two curving staircases that joined together on a platform. Another curving staircase branched off the platform up to the small room Jack made for himself. It had a bed, supplied with sheets and a mattress Pitch had stolen for him, the base made completely of ice. Pitch had contributed much more than Jack gave him credit for, keeping Jack fed, and giving him a proper place to rest.

He was the only family he had now. They were both the only people who accepted each other. Jack couldn't help but feel twice as lonely in his dark room that night… He then did something he always did whenever he felt lonely. He began to create a gentle breeze of snowflakes fall around him. He twirled his staff, creating patterns of ice and snow until they formed the shape of a human face, three of them. Manipulating the frost to come alive with his powers, he created the faces of Sophie and his parents. They smiled, as if they'd missed him… They didn't care he had strange powers. Upon seeing them did Jack grow sadder; they weren't waiting for him to come home, but it was best.

He could never return to a place where he could hurt people. Jack watched as the faces distorted into the gentle winds and fell with the rest of the snowflakes. Jack looked up at the ceiling and continued to consciously make snow fall around him as he lied, uncovered on his bed and waited to fall asleep. Meanwhile, Pitch was in his caved sanctuary at the base of the mountain where he saw the dark trails of ash and sand across the walls slowly tearing and peeling off. His own worries were coming true, phobias and fears of people like him were decreasing.

"Damn it…" He pondered to himself, pacing back and forth, "No one believes in dark magic anymore." It was his only source of life, and it was draining, "I can't just reveal myself! They won't see me!" He yelled to himself, walking back and forth, driving himself mad, "There has to be someone to bring the fear of the unexplainable back, but who?!" The shadow had pointed out the painfully obvious, for reflecting off the full moon was Jack's ice palace. But the young boy—a young boy to _him_, he'd worked so hard to toughen him up and patch him back together. Jack Frost trusted him and had no fear of him… Pitch was growing more and more desperate by the hour, each waking moment growing closer to his last. Maybe _he _couldn't entice fear… but Jack could.

But all this time, Jack sought to isolate himself from hurting anyone; it was fear that kept him away. Jack's fear clearly wasn't enough; it had to grow stronger. If he could just get Jack to make one mistake, just one, and then isolate himself again, he'd have a chance of life again. And if the villagers came after Jack, Pitch could protect him. Jack Frost was powerful too; he knew how to defend himself fairly well thanks to his teachings. Nothing else went better together than cold and dark, right? Pitch had his doubts, how could he bring himself to betray the only companion he'd had?

But this was a life or death situation… And Pitch knew what he wanted.

Far down in Arendelle, the guests were leaving the castle, satisfied with the celebration and banquet. Erlend watched his subjects leave, bidding them goodbye until the next kingdom ceremony. Agnes still wouldn't say a word to him, and he hadn't seen Elsa since he'd called her a…

How could he have done that to his own daughter? What father had the nerve? From outside the castle, he looked up and thought he saw her face at her bedroom window. But he'd mistaken, her dark blue curtains were still drawn, like always. The memories of when he was close with his little girl were fading. He wished he'd had more time to spend with her when she was a child, to help prepare her to be the next ruler. Maybe then Elsa wouldn't be so hostile towards him. But Erlend knew he was to blame—there was no point in getting angry with her. His eighteen year old daughter was closed in her room, wiping her makeup off with a tissue. Her eyes were still wet from her tears, so getting the mascara off proved to be easier than she anticipated. She let down her long, wavy blonde hair and it hung loose just above her elbows. Elsa had been standing in front of the window, conflicted about opening the curtains to look out at her peers or not. She wondered for a while if she'd see that young man who was sneaking around the garden, but at the same time, Elsa didn't care.

He'd probably just call her a whiny princess—a girl with such a good life crying for 'no good reason.' There was a knock at her door, "Who is it?" She moaned.

"It's Gerda, I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Goodnight." Elsa replied, not in the mood to see _anyone_. She just wanted to forget all about that night, maybe she could hide in her room for a few days and it would all pass over. Gerda huffed and pushed the door open.

"I don't get a hug?" She knew Elsa too well—that she _needed _one. Elsa sniffled and turned around, trying to smile.

"Okay, Gerda." She opened her arms and let the short elderly woman embrace her.

"Oh, honey." She comforted the princess, "It's alright…" Elsa began to sob more, trying to suck it in and be a woman, "I'll have a stern word with your father."

"No, don't." She pushed her away, "It doesn't matter _who _tells him _what_, it's always the same. The King has his word and I go back to being the 'perfect Princess of Arendelle.'" She took off the tight dress, her undergarments covering her. Elsa began to switch into a baby blue nightgown, "Nothing changes."

Gerda grimaced, "But Elsa, if you don't tell him how you feel, he'll never know."

The blonde woman scoffed, "He knows. It's that he doesn't care, all that's important is how he looks in front of everyone."

"Now Elsa, how you act doesn't reflect off him, it reflects off _you_." Elsa was ready for bed, exhausted, but this was still fresh in her mind, picking at her conscience.

"Nobody even knows who I really am. They never see me walk around the towns or get to know me. They only know the _Princess_ Elsa." She emphasized, "Not just… Elsa." Sometimes Elsa felt like only _she _knew the Princess Elsa; she'd never had a chance to discover who she really was… and heaven forbid she did. Her father made it feel illegal to have that sort of epiphany. Gerda knew her point, but she had nothing more to say. The gray-haired woman smiled.

"Well, what matters is that _you _know Elsa in the end." Her words would be keeping Elsa up all night, _in the end?_ She'd be lucky if she even figured out her true passion _in the end_. When the woman bid her goodnight and closed the door behind her, Elsa sat awake on her bed, thinking heavily with a heavy heart. All night she'd be obsessing over the events of her eighteenth birthday. Nothing went right. Nothing for her ever went right. She lied sleepless until Elsa decided it was time for her to figure out what it was really like out of the castle gates, what the people of Arendelle would treat her like if they got to know the true Elsa and not their Princess. She knew they'd recognize her instantly, but it was worth a try—it would be sneaking out the gates that would be difficult. Elsa was growing far too exhausted to plan her actions and drifted to sleep, an idea in mind, a resolution of some sort.

…

Jack stepped out of his palace only to be blinded by the dawn that was creeping over the horizon. Facing his castle east wasn't the best idea, but it occasionally gave him a grand morning view every day, if he were awake early enough. The pale, tall young man looked down at the kingdom to see that no one was up and about yet, probably due to the late night festivities. His fantasy (hardly) came true the night before, and now he could look on with satisfaction—at least he pretended. With his staff in hand, Jack created one, single snowflake large enough to cover his view of the moon if it were out. He decided to experiment and he slowly brought his hands together to a close, then spread them apart, creating a bursted flurry of multiple snowflakes.

Jack Frost chuckled to himself as the little droplets of snow gently floated down to the surface; his powers could be so beautiful, it could cause great joy to anyone who might desire an eternal world of fluffy snow and frothing plumes. Smiling at his work, he felt something emerge behind him, "Playing with the snow, Jack?" He smirked and turned around.

"Hey, if you can lurk in the dark all day, I can play with snow." He delightedly told Pitch, who grinned.

"It's too bad no one else has gotten to enjoy it." The smile didn't leave his face; Jack winced, not understanding his comment.

"What?" Pitch approached him and turned Jack's body towards Arendelle, still lifeless in the morning sun.

"Think about it, Jack." He licked his lips, dry from the cold air, "Your powers provide great beauty." He alluded to the snowflakes he'd just created, as well as the extravagant castle the two had created, "All I can do is bring darkness." Jack was confused by his sudden praise, "It's a shame no one else gets to appreciate the beauty you bring, except for you and I."

"Wait a minute, Pitch, why are you-"

"Last night I got to thinking, why _shouldn't_ Jack get to live freely with people? After all, come winter time, no one will know the difference."

Did he know he snuck away? That didn't matter, all he cared about was why Pitch was suddenly so eager, "But Pitch, you know what could happen if something goes wrong!" He held up his hands, "I _touch_ something and it turns to ice."

"Everyone is capable of tripping, falling, or hurting themselves." Pitch reminded him, "All they have to do is _be careful_." He smiled, almost eerily—but that was Pitch's casual look. Jack looked at his bare hands, a blizzard howled through his body… Maybe Pitch really did want him to get his chance to be a member of society again. Like everyone else, he just had to approach everything with caution, stay safe. Jack held his staff, how would he explain it?

"Alright…" He looked down at Arendelle; a few people were beginning to enter the town square. This was his chance to feel human again, to fill that hole that had been growing for three years, "Pitch, will you watch my staff?" He handed it to his trusted companion, who grabbed it with relish.

"Absolutely." He'd successfully persuaded the seventeen year old man, who breathed in deeply.

"If something goes wrong though…" He hesitated, "I…"

"Jack…" Pitch patted his shoulder, "You can always start over." He looked at Pitch with his striking blue eyes… He was right; only this time, rejoining society, _that_ was his starting over.

"Okay…" He took a few steps down the steep mountain—he had a long path ahead of him, but the farther he got down the mountain, the lighter his steps got as he grew more and more excited. All this time he was capable of being a member of society again. But Jack reminded himself the golden rule of his family _look-don't-touch_ and the golden rule of everyone else, _be careful_.

This was it, he thought, this was finally it.


	5. A Rare Gift

It was a new day for Elsa; she put on her face and tied her hair back tightly, as if the tears from the night before never existed. In the body-length mirror, she saw the grown woman her parents wanted of her… Only on the exterior. After standing straight and dusting the bodice of her dress, she sighed and went back to slouching. It was a new day? Sure… She should never bother being optimistic. The only upside to that morning was the sky; it was gray; the sun was blocked by the clusters of clouds. But the clouds weren't dark; it was more like winter time in the middle of summer. She wouldn't be surprised if it rained. That didn't matter; Elsa loved rainy or cloudy weather, anything that made her happy to be cooped up inside where she could feel comfortable. For once, she had her curtains open, where the princess could watch her subjects go about their day happily.

They were probably gossiping about her 'speech' from the night before, there was nothing better to do around Arendelle. Though, Erlend would probably have them hanged if anyone talked horridly of the Princess or anyone of the royal family. Elsa still couldn't say she had any regrets from the night before—at last she'd told her mother and father how she really felt, sort of. At least her people knew what it was like growing up alone with no one to make proud. At least for once, people were listening to her. Elsa couldn't handle it; for eighteen years she acted like the perfect princess everyone had in mind; full of grace and poise. Oh please, she was the opposite! No one would know the real Elsa… Sometimes even _she _didn't know the real Elsa.

She sighed, there was a sudden knock at her door, though she should've been expecting it, "Come in." An assistant of Gerda's walked in.

"I'm just getting your sheets."

Elsa stood straight and pretended to be looking in the mirror, practicing her posture, "Thank you." The presence of anyone made her uncomfortable, especially after everyone had watched her. She heard the maid, Idun, sigh with a hint of irritation.

"I've got so much to do today," She pulled the sheets off the corners of the mattress and took the cover off of the duvet, "First off I've got to the laundry," She snorted, Elsa could hear the smile in her voice, "That's the _easy _part, then next I've got to go out in town and get some-"

"Out to town?" A little light went off inside her head, maybe she had an opportunity to, literally, get some fresh air and leave the castle!

"Mhm," The maid disregarded the young woman's tone, "I've got to get vegetables for the soup we're making tonight." Elsa stepped over and went to help Idun pull the cover off of the bulky duvet.

"What kind of vegetables?" She tried to worm her way into doing her 'a favor.'

"Oh, just carrots, celery, cauliflower—whatever's in the recipe." She began to pile up the blanket and sheets together, "Don't worry about me deary, I've got it." She smiled, experienced in carrying large bundles of laundry. Elsa tried to find the right words, not wanting to sound forceful.

"Maybe… _I_ could go out to get them?" She'd sounded so unsure of herself, but it got Idun to turn around.

"Huh?"

"You said you have so much to do today, and as the Princess, I'd like to be of assistance of our…" What was she assisting, exactly? "Our royal, fond staff." Idun hadn't a clue what she had just said… But she liked the sound of not having to go out into town and wait in the possible heat for the handpicked vegetables to be in her hands.

"Well, as long as the King and Queen are alright with your 'assistance', then I'd be delighted if you would do such a thing for me." She smiled and closed the door, Elsa smiled and once she was out of earshot reminded herself.

"As long as they don't know they'll be fine." Anything to get out of the damp, suffocating castle, anything! There was no need for a disguise, just an easy way to exit without being noticed by the rest of the staff; Idun would be too busy to mention it, and her parents were making trade negotiations with neighboring kingdoms. She grabbed a straw basket and headed out. No hesitation, no fear. Just a desire for a break.

All the while, Jack Frost neared the happy village. He'd crossed the bridge leading from the woods to the kingdom, surrounded by a fjord. Arendelle's castle was so much bigger up close, he hadn't observed it as closely the night before. The more he walked towards the kingdom, the lighter his steps got—this was exciting! How long had it been since he'd truly interacted with anyone? That didn't matter, he just had to be cautious, make sure not to bump into anyone, to not put his hands on anything. One wrong move, and he could hurt someone, then they would know. Jack looked at his attire, same white shirt with a brown vest and poncho, despite the warm weather, his boots hadn't left a trail of snow or ice, praise heaven. He wiped the frost off of his poncho and took a deep, sharp breath, "Okay… Look, don't touch." He reminded himself. Jack squeezed through the narrow opening of the gates, when he looked in, he saw all the people not even taking notice of him.

It was a much more humble kingdom than he'd expected, people were dressed casually, like _him_ even! Something _must've_ been going on the night before to have everyone dressed to regally. Jack tensed, he remembered his pale skin and silvery-white hair; please don't let him stand out! Just say he was up in the mountains where it always snowed! That would be his excuse, kids ran in front of him, chasing each other with small, wooden swords. It had startled him, he could've bumped into them and—No, don't think about things like that, think of the now! How thrilling this is! Just then, the same children, with something else in their hands ran by again. A doll was in their hands. Jack heard the sounds of a discontent little girl calling after them. When he saw her he saw Sophie, at least the spinning image of her, but with short hair. She was probably younger than she was now, but he hated to see a face like that so upset.

Annoyed, Jack took his opportunity and grabbed the doll out of his hand, not even touching the boy's skin. The girl that had come chasing after them halted, "I think this is yours." He smiled and knelt down to give it to her. She gasped and hugged it tightly. Jack knew how kids were, he prayed she didn't go for a hug, but she ran back to where she was and played. The young man couldn't help but smile. For some reason children's happiness gave him warmth… But also a long yearning—nostalgia. The fun he never got to have as a child. Someone had witnessed his kind deed and approached him with a smirk.

"That was very noble of you." A rosy pale, tall young woman said to him. Jack was startled to hear someone talk to him and jumped. His stomach turned even more when he recognized her ravishing face; the same sapphire eyes, same platinum blonde hair in a bun, same dusting of freckles… Wait, he hadn't noticed those! But on her, they were perfect. He was no taller than her, either meaning he was short for a man, or she was tall for a woman. Five-foot-nine was the average, wasn't it? Oh God, stop rummaging through your mind and say something, he thought.

"Oh yeah," He chuckled, taking a step away from her, "Just, you know, when someone's getting bullied you gotta-" Jack reenacted when he swiped the doll away from the child and laughed uncomfortably. Elsa, with her basket of carrots and cauliflower, giggled. She'd only intended to make a joke, but she had a feeling she could strike up a conversation with the young man. She was out of the castle; why not _stay_ out as long as she could?

"Of course!" She smiled, observing him. Jack didn't like this, he kept whatever distance he could, "Have we met?" Elsa raised a brow, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before…" It was his eyes, they were such a striking blue. She never would've guessed they used to be brown. Jack gulped with cautious excitement, she remembered him! His mind immediately jumped to thinking of an answer.

"Yes!" But his mouth moved too fast before he could say how he _'wasn't'_ prowling through the garden, "I uh… I was a guest at your castle's event last night." Elsa observed him, his silvery hair in spikes, his skin was so pale, and teeth white like freshly fallen snow. He was the practical embodiment of winter; never would she have guessed he's been living on a mountain for the last three years.

"The Princess's birthday?"

"The Princess's birthday!" Jack snapped, he held his hand out to the side and put another in front of his chest, bowing, "Of course, I was a guest for the birthday of Princess—um…" Damn it! He knew nothing about this woman other than her beauty. Elsa was quite fond of his cluelessness, someone who wouldn't address her as 'Princess.'

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." She got him to return to an upright stance, and she cleared her throat, "Anyways, I'm Elsa." She put a hand on her heart as she said so, he couldn't get over how long and elegant her fingers were. Jack had never met anyone so… So perfect.

"I'm Jack Frost." His mouth moved faster than his brain could keep up with again! Why did he say his last name? Or his self-given last name? Whatever, now she'd have a clue! No, stay calm…

"Frost?" Jack looked at her hands, they were now both on the handle of her basket. It relieved him; they were nowhere near his own hands, "I like that name!" She chortled.

"Heh, it's one of a kind." Jack admitted, still trying to hold back a blush. Elsa stood there for a moment, her eyes spoke to him without her mouth moving. They were saying they were curious, that he stood out, which Jack didn't like.

"So…" Elsa tensed up, suddenly worrying if anyone would spot her out, but she wasn't eager to go back home yet, "It's a nice day here in Arendelle, isn't it?" They watched the other villagers walk around the square. Jack returned his attention to the children and families, bringing a sad smile to his face.

"Yeah…" His mind just couldn't hold his mouth back that day, if he wasn't such a nervous-wreck, "It's a lot less formal than I thought." He thought aloud.

"What?" Elsa couldn't judge, she had her own moments where her tongue slipped.

"Oh uh, I mean," Jack twitched, taking another step away from her, "You know how it's a palace and everyone dresses formally," He was talking a mile a minute, Elsa laughed, "Well today it's… not!" He ended with a nervous grin.

"I see, the people only dress that way whenever there's a kingdom event by the King and Queen." They both looked on at the castle, Elsa hiding her somber attitude towards it, Jack entranced by it. He looked back at the young woman; Jack didn't want to try and decipher whether she was of royalty or not, though clearly her blue gown was much more expensive than the other villagers.

"So you've met the King and Queen?" Elsa rolled her eyes; _met _them? But she didn't want to give herself away; the young man would forget she was a person! Elsa nodded.

"I have, I'm one of the usual invitees to the royal celebrations." Jack thought of how much fun they must be… But something was still on his mind; why had she been alone sobbing in the garden? He couldn't just ask, then she might reverse the question as to why he was alone out there as well.

"Well… It sure is a lot warmer in there." He bet himself; perhaps just stepping inside a castle without fear of hurting anyone would fulfill his longing, other than his own ice castle. Elsa didn't appear impressed.

"It's a lot more cramped in there." Jack didn't deny that this was the Princess he was talking to, but the Princess didn't seem to be in the mood to talk about such things. Jack took a step away, just to maintain a certain distance from her without seeming weird.

"Listen, uh… Elsa." He began, not knowing where he was going with this, but anything to have an excuse to talk to her. He wanted to ask the woman that could very well be the Princess, adored by everyone, a question. "Have you ever-"

"Is that Princess Elsa?" A child cried out with delight. Elsa hid the side of her face with her hand. He was right!

"Princess?"

"Oh no," She loved her subjects, but only when they saw her when they were _supposed_ to see her, "Look, I gotta go."

"Ah, wait!" Before she could run back to the castle out of earshot, Jack kept her attention without having to make any physical contact, "So you really are the Princess?" Elsa kept her head low, making sure the child wasn't informing his busy mother.

"Yes! I know, I'm going back to the castle right now." She turned, trying to walk at a quick pace but not run. Running would only make it worse.

"But wait…" He said to himself, "If it was _your _celebration last night, why were you alone crying?" Elsa halted; _now _she recognized him completely, the gentle face that she'd stared down with a teary, blurry vision. She looked back at the now soulful teenager with an intense look… Never had someone cared enough to be concerned about her feelings before. But she couldn't stand there and appreciate it for much longer.

"W-What's it to you?"

She had a point, it wasn't any of his business—a commoner's no less, but Jack _had _to know, if even someone as adored as her could mess up too, "I don't know." He admitted—he was becoming nervous, his body temperature was dropping. That wasn't good! "A-A normal human being can't be concerned for another?" _Normal?_ HA! That statement coming from him was a paradox on its own; but Elsa turned her entire body around with the most curious expression. He, a stranger, cared? This was something the Princess who'd been confined to her own castle had felt before. Jack hadn't felt sympathy in the longest time… In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd ever felt it at all—he was always sulking for himself, there was no one else around!

"Well…" She fiddled with the long sleeve that ended at her wrist, "I'm fine now." She said uncomfortably, "Thank you." Jack smiled, genuinely. But it didn't last, for Elsa rushed off towards the large castle gates, there she had a home. Jack held up a hand to say bye to this 'royal acquaintance,' but it was too late. He sighed… He'd had his fun for that day… Not even. Jack felt like an idiot, going down to a kingdom full of people to feel released. But it was Pitch's idea—he was only thinking of him, knowing his need to feel like he was normal again. But the worry of hurting others was just too much.

With a heavy heart, Jack found himself inside his ice castle with his comrade, his staff back in hand, "Wasn't what you expected, Jack?" He was perched on the throne they'd made, looking at the wooden texture of the crook, glazed over with frost that would never melt. Even rubbing his hands over it felt the same, as if there were no ice on the wood. More like a plastic kind of feeling. Jack realized he'd accidentally ignored Pitch and shook his head.

"No. It's too stressful." He leaned back in the frozen seat, "I'm always afraid I could freeze someone." Pitch's plans were getting a head start, but his fear wasn't enough—there had to be more! He circled the chair, twirling his dark sand-like magic in his hand.

"Like I said, all you have to do is be careful."

"It's not that easy, Pitch!" He hopped off the seat and twirled his staff, leaving swirls of snow trails that scattered away in the soft wind, "This is different—if someone else bumps into someone, they just dust off their shoulder and say they're sorry. If _I _bump into someone, well… They could die."

Although Pitch liked that thought, being Pitch Black, he saw the poor seventeen year old's point. He couldn't help but grimace at the young man's plight, "Alright, but don't tell me you met _no one_ of interest?"

Pitch was like his brother, he could tell him anything… _mostly_ anything. Jack grinned, he'd already given it away, "Well," he chuckled, "There is this girl… She's the Princess-"

"You mean Elsa?" Why did Pitch always have to beat him to the game? Jack Frost raised a brow.

"Wait a minute," He turned around and faced him, "You know Princess Elsa?" The tall, ghostly man snorted.

"I'm a living shadow that lurks every corner of Norway… I tend to hear things occasionally." Jack's heart was too fragile to resist, he smiled with excitement.

"Well, whuddya know about her?" He mumbled quickly, eager to know. Pitch stroked the cold, dark throne, massive snowflake patterns forever imprinted into the seat.

"Well, she just turned eighteen last night, for one thing. And another… She's alone, like you, Jack." The castle glowed blue with his excitement, it seemed that the ice on the floor and walls could illuminate itself with Jack's emotions. However, upon the Dark Lord's finishing statement, the illumination dimmed.

"Alone?"

"It's a shame," He rubbed his fingers, little grains of black sand fell and dissolved onto the ground, "Her parents just don't have any time for her, no one to listen or be with her." Pitch's sympathy was only half a lie; even _he _could understand what it was like to be ignored, to have no one, "So she's alone most of the time—her big, grand world shrunk to that damp castle." He continued to make shapes with his sand before crushing them into his palm, Jack scratched his cheek.

"So… She would…" He began to lose himself in his delight, "Understand?"

"What's more is," Pitch circled swiftly like the shadow he was around the ice fountain, "She will have finally found someone who understands _her_." Pitch's earnest honesty had almost convinced Jack, but he halted.

"But, Pitch—How do I get close to her without hurting her?" He held his hands together, knowing what his ice powers could do, "I can't let her touch me, or-"

"Jack, you don't see it, do you?" He'd snuck up behind Jack by sliding his shadow past underneath his feet. He grabbed him by the wrist and had him open his palms, sending snowflakes in a flurry out of his hands and into the air, "What you have is a talent, a _gift_." Jack repeated with the other hand on his own, it indeed was beautiful, "And once you find someone who's different like you, who trusts you," he chuckled, "Like me, then…" He slid his shadow around the banister of the staircase, like a snake all the way to the platform above, "There won't be a problem." Jack saw his point, but he was so full of doubt, full of fear.

"I understand…" Sophie came to his mind, his family, his former neighbors, "But what if something goes wrong?" Pitch was an inch away from his face once again.

"Knowing you Jack, it won't… You'll forget your fears when you're with someone like that." Jack realized Pitch was correct—being with someone like him made him forget what a freak he was. He could be himself and forget about his powers; as long as no one went to touch him.

"Okay, maybe if I get close to her… If, I could show her that I understand what it's like, then maybe she'll accept me I won't have to be alone anymore!" He exclaimed happily—his fears would be over. Pitch tossed Jack his staff.

"Here, why don't you go practice for when you get to show off?" Jack laughed and rushed out the large double doors. Sliding down the staircase on a trail of ice, Jack's staff and hands glowed blue, merrily sending streams of ice in his wake. It didn't matter how childish he was being—for the first time in years, he wouldn't have to live in hiding anymore. It would take time, but Jack saw this as a beginning. He may as well let out his energy now—for days, weeks, maybe months of caution even awaited him. Pitch watched from the top of the staircase.

"Nothing will go wrong; you'll forget your fear." Pitch rubbed his hands, knowing without fear, he was powerless, "That is, until someone makes you remember." He spoke quietly to himself, he smiled sinisterly. He wasn't doing this to harm Jack, never. His goal was send his nightmares elsewhere…


	6. Turn Around

Elsa peered through the curtains of her window, admiring the mountainous view beyond Arendelle, wishfully thinking of how one day she could tread them. She had already spent enough time thinking of the young man's kindness. Elsa began to wonder if he was part of her father's lineup—that she'd be seeing that face soon again with a group of men she was supposed to choose to marry. But he had such a unique appearance… She never recalled seeing him before the party or just hours ago. 'Jack Frost' her head kept saying, 'Jack Frost'… She didn't want to point a finger and call him 'odd', but that was the immediate impression she got from him… And for some reason, the Princess liked odd.

"Elsa?" Gerda was outside her door, probably to put her bed sheets back on. Elsa didn't move from her spot and continued to gaze across the fjord.

"Come in." The elderly servant walked in with sheets and a blanket draped over her shoulder. Elsa acknowledged the woman's reflection in the window, but didn't make any other contact. Gerda, however, noticed Elsa's mesmerized expression and laughed.

"Well _someone_ looks perplexed!" Elsa hated how well she could unveil her emotions—even better than herself! "Is something troubling you?" The young woman grinned, happy with her answer.

"No, not at all." She moved the curtains to the side even farther; they were getting closer to letting light in the room! Gerda was almost bothered by the normally soulful girl's change of attitude. She approached her and peered over her shoulder to try and find what she was looking at.

"What's got you in bright spirits so soon?" It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since her birthday yet, "When you were a child you hid in your room for days after you stained one of your mother's best dresses!" Elsa unabashedly opened the curtains all the way, her spirits lifted and full of vigor—she'd never imagine that the simple kindness of a stranger would warm her up so much. With a smile on her face, she took the sheets on the bed and lifted the mattress on its side.

"Let me help you with this." Was all she said. Gerda smirked and got on the other side, pulling the ends of the blue, crystal-patterned sheets over.

"Come on, tell your old Granny what's got you so perked up." She laughed, referring to Elsa's nickname for her when she was younger; she missed that nickname—she missed being able to hold Elsa in her arms, she missed it when the young Princess would fall asleep after reading with the servant in the lounging room and she would carry her to bed… She missed everything that time seem to steal from her.

"Well…" Elsa tucked the side of the sheet under the mattress, "I went out today." Gerda raised a brow, now aware this was meant to only be between the two of them.

"Oh?"

"And… Well, I bumped into a kind stranger, he was at the party last night and…" They set the mattress down and stopped, Elsa bunched up the plain duvet and thought again of his words. Gerda was anxious, excited even.

"Well? Don't stop there! Tell me!" The two giggled.

"He was just very… Kind to me." Her facial expression betrayed her emotions when she let a frown form on her face, despite her happiness, "He saw me in the garden last night after my speech." Gerda nodded her head as she opened up the covers.

"Ah… I see. Would you help me with this, dear?" Elsa straightened out the duvet and little by little dropped it into the blanket-like sheet.

"Yeah-um…" She tried not to get side-tracked, "It's that I've never met anyone who's seen that side of me." No one knew better than her or Gerda how true that was, "And the fact he cared enough to worry was…" She blushed yet again, squeezing her blanket, "Endearing." Could she have her first crush? Elsa knew since day-one she'd be betrothed to a young (or old) man her father picked for a lineup, but was this fluffy, clueless feeling that used no brain activity whatsoever what 'liking someone' was _supposed_ to be like? The blonde didn't care; she enjoyed feeling happily stupid every once in a while… If it ever happened.

"Well you know in a few weeks or so, we'll have another public gathering for when the Kingdom of Bodø visits. Perhaps you'll see him again." Elsa grinned gently.

"Yeah… Maybe someone will finally get to know me _without_ having to treat me like a Princess."

"Well, a man better treat you like a Princess regardless!"

"Gerda~!" Elsa laughed, realizing how she worded her own statement. The old woman couldn't help but grab the eighteen year old's hands, as they giggled… Anything to make her feel like she was still her little Princess. To hell with it; she _was_!

All the while, it was agony for Jack to wait for the sun to rise over Arendelle that morning—he peered out the double-doors of his castle and stepped outside. The snow that had fallen overnight erased all this footprints and ice patterns he'd made out of joy. At least his energy had been released, because now, he had to conceal everything. This was _his_ decision. He left his staff in the bedroom of his palace and put one boot on the refined ice steps that led to his sanctuary, then the other followed. He'd done this before, only now Jack had something to look forward to—someone he couldn't wait to see. But was the Princess even waiting to see him? Did she even remember him?

God, his neck was killing him—he felt like he'd slept on it wrong, if even slept at all the night before. He was too anxious. Jack began to let his fear overpower his excitement as he felt his body temperature drop. He can't do that, he scolded himself, he can't let fear control him! Fear is the enemy. If Pitch had heard him say that, he'd probably break his staff out of spite. Jack reminded himself that he was in control, the entire way down the mountains and across the bridge over the fjord, he calmed himself. When he made it to the open gates of Arendelle, it was just as active as the day before; no one noticed his unusual, frosted appearance nor did anyone care. That was just how he liked it. Jack wondered if Elsa was around—though he doubted it… She was the Princess after all, and Princesses were normally locked up in their castle all day. What he didn't expect was Elsa was about to get a nasty habit of sneaking out when she could and spending an hour or two in the kingdom.

As he slowly passed through the crowds, trying to avoid touching people, he saw a familiar blonde squeeze through the gates leading to the castle garden. Elsa said she'd 'help tend to the flowers' that morning. As long as the maids believed her, she was safe. Jack was curious if she owned any dresses that weren't dark blue, let alone how long her hair was since it was always pulled back so damn tightly. But who cares? There she was! Just as he _didn't_ expect… But it seemed heaven was on his side, because she looked just as nervous as he was, sauntering out to the village square.

Jack raised a brow—why not have a little fun? Forgetting about his worries, he crept over to the floral stand and picked a few flowers. Elsa saw an animal her father normally referred to as 'vermin.' The baker's Danish-Swedish Farmdog, sitting next to the stand panting giddily. No one was attending it, and it was leashed up to the stand. Elsa couldn't help herself, she knelt down and cooed at it, "Hello pretty!" She spoke about three octaves higher, nuzzling its chin; it had the most adorable nose that she wanted to kiss, but apparently all creatures were drawn to her beauty for the dog put its paws on her lap and licked her cheeks. Elsa continued to scratch and adore the animal she'd always wanted to own, but she felt a shadow over her.

Had she been caught?! Jerking up to her feet, she turned around to see the silver-haired young man with purple flowers in his hand, "Flowers for the fair Princess?" Elsa chuckled away her brief fright.

"Jack?"

He laughed, "I didn't think you'd get so scared." The Princess smirked and crossed her arms.

"Well, I think I should be; you killed those beautiful flowers!" Wait a minute… Did he freeze them in his hands?! No! It was a joke… Stay calm.

"Hehe, I wasn't expecting to see you again, em…" He bowed his head with an arm around his chest again, "Princess Elsa." She scanned him with his eyes, grinning ear-to-ear.

"For you, it's just Elsa." Jack raised his head, surprised by how she could be so playful yet still maintain an air of elegance around her.

"_Just_ Elsa?" She nodded, "Oh! Okay, I like just Elsa." He loved the way he made her chortle as if it was all she knew thing to do. It made him feel… warm, "Anyways, sneaking out the castle again? What an outlaw." The blonde was becoming indifferent to her own actions.

"One of the maids will cover for me, I'm not doing anything harmful now, am I?" She made her point with a tinge of sarcasm. Jack crossed his arms, realizing he still had the dying flowers between his fingers. Not sure what to do, Elsa held out a hand, "I'll take them." Jack side-grinned, but instead of handing her the flowers outright, he dropped them over her hand.

"Uh, are you sure you prefer Elsa? Because if you want, I don't mind calling Miss or…" The dog stepped closer and sniffed Jack's frosted boots, "Madame…" Elsa snorted and rolled her eyes, "No?" He got her to laugh again, that was the one good quality he always knew he had. All those years being trapped inside his home, he wanted to be good at something—so at the dinner table, he focused on making his parents and Sophie laugh until their sides hurt, "Because you look like you could be a Mistress-" The dog began to bark wildly, sensing something was off about the young man. The two young adults leapt away, startled.

"Well, he could've at least warned us that he was going to bark like a beast." Elsa smiled as the dog simmered down and got down on its belly. The young woman smiled at its adorable, goofy looking eyes again. Jack raised a brow and turned to her; he hadn't met many Princesses in his life if any at all, but she was _different_.

"You know, you're pretty upbeat for a Princess." Elsa smirked at him, but the way her eyes spoke to him, it was as though he'd said something offensive. Jack stepped away, "Not that I mean Princesses can't be upbeat, I mean I hear they're usually boring." Elsa tucked her chin in and gave him another smart-aleck type look, Jack went into full on panic mode—only this time, it wasn't about his powers, "I mean not that you're-no! You're not boring!" He stammered on, but Jack Frost halted when Elsa put her hand over her lips and snorted.

"I'm just playing with you." Jack's pale face turned a light red, how could _he _out of all people not have caught on to that? Then again, he'd never _played _with anyone in his life… Don't think about that! "You're not wrong." Jack broke out of his thoughts.

"I'm not?" That's a first.

"No." She began to walk farther into the towns, Jack helping keep her low profile, "It's true what you said, being a Princess is boring." They strolled farther away from the square where it was less active, a tad quieter, "You spend your life learning how to fulfill all these expectations your parents have since one day you'll be a Queen." Jack couldn't stand the now somber look on her face, "I've spent most of my life…" She stopped walking and let her lips curve into a disappointed smile, "Alone."

"Alone?" Jack repeated.

"Well, I do have my mom and dad but," She sighed, "They were never around." Elsa took a pause, "Our head servant Gerda raised me better than the both of them." Jack was still entranced by her words, her understanding emotions.

"So… You grew up by yourself?" Elsa rubbed her hands, it was a nervous habit she'd never outgrown. She looked back at him with her deep blue eyes.

"Yeah." For some reason, looking at him made her smile—her one friend. Jack couldn't believe his good fortune. He let out a broken chuckle and looked at her seriously.

"Well, you don't have to be like that anymore." Jack was only stating his thoughts aloud—that message was to himself. Maybe it was time to forget everything and start over… Build a new life for himself… Maybe people would like Jack Frost as long as they never knew his power. Elsa looked into his eyes and smiled, but instead of saying anything, the two went to staring… Soon it was so quiet between them it became awkward. Jack began to worry he'd been there too long and backed away in the opposite direction, "So uh… Elsa." She grinned at his quirkiness, despite she was confused by his actions, "It was nice getting to speak to you again and maybe we could speak again tomorrow?" He halted his steps now that he was a safe distance from her.

"Oh, of course!" She stood up straight and announced, "I'd love to speak again tomorrow." Jack still couldn't believe he'd made it through an entire conversation without consciously worrying about his powers—at last, he felt normal.

"Great, well once you sneak out again," He chuckled, "I'll find you and-" As he was backing a way, he hit the corner of a blacksmith shop, "Oh, uh, there's a wall there." Elsa shook her head at all the silliness and giggled. Her father would be so disappointed, but she didn't care. She watched him disappear behind the wall and went around the other way to sneak back into the garden. Jack let out a cold breath of fresh air… He couldn't stop smiling at the sky, thinking about how everything was at last turning around, not even questioning how well it was all going… Maybe now it was the beginning of forever with his new life.


	7. And Back Around

Things began to go abnormally perfect for Jack, who slept in the trees of the forest just outside the fjord of Arendelle—everyday he waited to see Princess Elsa, who'd gradually become more outgoing and playful with him. Each time she snuck out of the castle, the less afraid she was and the more excited she was to do it again the next day since there was now always someone waiting for her. For over a week the two would meet in the town square and would go to a quiet spot where they could talk away. Elsa couldn't leave the kingdom gates, but she'd sometimes watch Jack as he left into the woods, claiming he always went for a nature walk in the afternoon.

Jack didn't mind that Elsa did most of the talking—he preferred to listen. For the first time he had someone to listen _to_. And as for the blonde Princess, someone was there to listen. She would confide in Jack about her problems, the stress of having to act poised and regal as well as her distant relationship from her parents the King and Queen. Jack always thought it was funny that she had trouble with poise, because he saw such perfection when he was with her. Once Jack and Elsa got talking about other things, like music or dancing, Elsa was surprised that Jack had never been to one of their balls before. They were walking next to each other on a bridge over a sparkling lake and during this discussion.

"What?!" Elsa turned her back away from him and interrupted their walk, "You haven't been to one of our balls yet?" Hadn't he lived there all his life? The pale teenager took a step back, reminding himself to keep his distance.

He chuckled nervously, "Well, no… You see, I-" _I have a power that could freeze the entire kingdom_ "I'm just awful at socializing." He backed away again—Elsa was used to his strange moments of increasing the space between him and her. Elsa raised a brow and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh? So what are you and I doing then?"

Jack Frost had been caught, and in his own nervousness, he turned away and walked to the edge of the bridge, now out of the way of anyone else who might be crossing, "You and I are friends, it's different." Like him and Pitch, except Pitch was a freak like him, "I actually got to know you… Anywhere with big crowds makes me nervous." Elsa joined him and smiled.

"I get nervous too—I've known these people since I was a little girl and I still lose my nerve whenever I have to present a speech for them." The blonde eased him. He looked at the tall Princess again, seeing the face of a young woman that understood, sort of… He smiled gently and blushed. He could hug her at that moment… But he wouldn't—he couldn't.

"Thanks, Elsa." He backed away, he was doing his weird 'hesitant movement' again, according to her; he was on the other rim of the bridge, across from her. Jack knew she probably thought he was a fool at that point, but alas, she would just smirk and shake her head. The two smiled at each other for a bit, getting lost in each other's blue eyes. Elsa's own eyes were blue, but Jack's were a different type of blue—unnaturally blue. Meanwhile, Jack simply thought Elsa was perfect no matter what color of her eyes or her face shape—her kind, warm personality was what he'd been needing all these years.

The moment was interrupted when they heard a faint noise, Elsa's facial expression changed completely, "The trumpets! That means something has happened?" Jack's heart sank when he saw her frightened expression.

"Something bad?"

"I don't know. But it requires a meaning from the royal subjects! I've got to go!" She held the ends of her dress up and fled towards the castle.

"W-Will I still see you tomorrow?"

She turned around, continuing to back away, "Of course! Bye!" The Princess didn't even bother making sure her dress wasn't going to get stepped on and she rushed ahead. Jack waved at the unseeing beauty. He was about to lean on his staff when he remembered (again) he didn't have it. Pitch probably just set it in a corner of the ice palace and left it there, waiting for Jack's return… When Jack thought of it, he didn't want to return… Despite his worries, he was happy, euphoric even. He probably should check in so Pitch knows he's alright, but Pitch could travel much faster than him—he'd probably checked on him a couple of times a day since he'd left.

It was strange how Jack's own powers had influenced the staff; his magic could do things that were out of his control at times. He had to especially be careful with it; its destruction could lead to his death. Part of his soul was now in that wooden crook, according to Pitch. Jack didn't bother testing to see if the 'curse' was true, he didn't want to take any chances of slipping into a permanent coma. He decided to leave the kingdom for the day and take a trip up the mountains; he had more time than usual that day. Meanwhile, Elsa slipped through the garden gates and back inside, rushing to the throne room. It was only the servants, the royal handler, and her mother and father. Erlend was reading a long document to himself in front of them. Elsa tried to slip into the audience where she found Gerda.

"What's happening?" The elderly woman shook her head, not sure herself. They all, including Queen Agnes, waited in agony for Erlend to finish re-reading the document to confirm what had happened was true. The smile on his face changed the atmosphere, they anticipated his next move, positive their hearts could cause an earthquake.

"Fantastic news!" He shouted, "The neighboring kingdom of Germany has decided _not _to purchase land near our kingdom!" The royal subjects began to murmur, some gasped, some sighed with relief. It had been a painful six months of worrying about another kingdom taking their land. Apparently a new deal had been made to expand the area elsewhere. Agnes grabbed his arm.

"This _is_ wonderful! Oh, we should tell out people!"

"I have a better idea, let's notify everyone that there will be a ball in celebration of the deal. Kai, start proposing letters to every subject in the kingdom about this."

"Yes, your majesty!"

The crowd began to chat with excitement, meanwhile, Elsa pondered to herself—another ball… This would be a wonderful opportunity for her to get to bond with Jack. Gerda held her shoulder, "Oh Elsa, isn't this exciting? I get to make you a new dress, we'll do your hair and makeup all formal since it's a celebratory event!" Elsa smiled, "Oh, not that your birthday wasn't celebratory, but-"

"Gerda!" She grabbed her hand mid-sentence, "_Everyone_ in Arendelle will be coming?" The maid nodded, though confused.

"Of course. Why, dear?" She smiled down at her grandmotherly figure.

"Well, I want Jack to be here, I want my family to meet him." Gerda longingly anticipated this moment, "My first _real_ friend."

"Oh…" She hugged her, "Bringing home a man, you're so grown up!" Elsa's jaw dropped.

"Gerda! We're just friends." She reassured.

"Oh… You're too beautiful for him to think that." The two smiled and laughed, Gerda then brought her upstairs to have her think of a pattern for her dress.

Jack Frost had finally reached his palace far from the kingdom and up the mountains, still blanketed with snow—softly falling and erasing the footprints, the ice castle still stood tall and proud. He opened the double doors, "Pitch?" His own voice echoed; everything was normal. Maybe he was down in his cave or off haunting some other village—if he got lucky enough that they saw him. He walked in and let the door close behind him, "Hello?"

On the throne, he saw his staff, probably placed there as a joke. He picked it up and heard a voice from the platform above him. "Came to visit me?" Pitch Black spoke in his usual sinister tone, "How sweet of you, Jack." The seventeen year old chuckled.

"Yeah… Just thought I'd stop by." He swung himself up to the platform with a gust of wind created by the staff; snowflakes always followed after, "Things are going great." He announced heavenly, strutting past the tall man, "Elsa, she…" How did he describe her? He held his staff tightly, just as tightly as he wanted to hold her, "Oh, she's the best!" He leaned into it, "Did I tell you how she's a year older than me?"

"And an inch taller?"

"Don't remind me!" He begrudgingly remembered her stance of five-ten, just one inch damn it. But a year older at least made him feel, well, younger. Pitch chuckled and crossed his arms.

"No need to tell me the details Jack, I know all the fun you've been having." So he was right! The young man smirked and turned around.

"So you _have _been watching me."

"Did I mention how Elsa looks more Swedish?" He played with his black sand, "Probably ancestors." The pale son of snow flipped the crook in the air and caught it.

"Yeah, but who cares… I swear if it wasn't for my powers I would, I would hold her." He wrapped his arms around himself, "And…" He sighed, Pitch frowned, "She's the only friend I've had in years." The Lord of Darkness patted the Snow Prince's back.

"Well, nothing's gone wrong so far…" He positioned himself regally as he slowly descended the stairs.

"Yeah, but only when I'm with her. She was talking today about royal balls and dancing and-"

"Dancing?" Dancing meant touching! This was perfect for Pitch to peak the young man's fear. Feigning concern, he literally swept his body back up the stairs and in front of him, "No, Jack! You know what happens when you come in contact with another human."

"I know, I know!" He turned away, "But, lately, it's weird—I'll forget all about my powers and worries. But then when she gets closer, I back away."

"Because you'll hurt her." Pitch added. Despite of his desperate plan to keep him alive, whatever was hurting Jack, was hurting him too. Jack lost the light in his eyes and his stomach turned just thinking about anyone else suffering the way Sophie did… Pitch wouldn't get anywhere with his fear alone. He had to refute his own statement, "But nothing's happened yet, has it?"

The white-haired young man said nothing and shook his head.

"You don't have to worry—it's good that you're aware." Pitch added, circling him like a vulture, "And remember, I've been watching you. So in the _rare_ possibility that something should happen, I can intervene." Jack didn't want to venture farther into the notorious possibilities of what the villagers would do to them if they were discovered. He looked soulfully down at the snowflake patterned floor… That hexagonal snowflake that based the entire castle having been made by the very boots he was wearing; a single stomp created it. Why did he have to have such a worthless curse?

"So what do you say, Jack?" He shook him back to reality, "You going back tomorrow?" He held the staff as Jack grasped to it tightly, waiting eagerly for his response. With much thought, Jack tried to swallow whatever worries he had and let go of it.

"Yes…" His answer full of doubts.


	8. Fool's Move

When Jack arrived to the village gates, something was different—he was hesitant; he dreaded seeing Elsa more than anticipated. Looking at the pale, white flesh on his hands, he remembered he was a danger, he remembered his old neighbors' faces, Sophie barely letting out a sharp, gasp of breath as he caused the ice below her feet to crack. Dear God if anyone ever shrieked out his name like that again, Jack wouldn't be able to live with himself anymore… Especially the voice of someone he cared about.

When he squeezed through the gates unnoticed once more, he saw the friendly townspeople going about their business—just as his old neighbors were, completely unsuspecting of the strange monster the Overlands had given birth to. He wasn't Jackson Overland anymore, not that monster. He was Jack Frost, the freak who lived in solitude—able to use his powers without hurting anyone. And now he was the young man who was willingly being a threat to Arendelle's people, their Princess. He went to back out the gates, but far ahead of him, he saw Elsa… actually outside speaking to someone! He'd always assumed she was a prisoner in her own home… Apparently not.

His own curiosity overpowered the anxiety and he approached his friend, "Elsa?" He saw the man she was speaking to raise a brow, "Uh-_Princess_ Elsa." Jack bowed, he noticed the rolled up piece of paper in his hand. The young woman kindly sent the man away and turned to him.

"Good to see you so early!"

"I should say so myself! How are you out so early?"

"My father allowed me to leave the castle just to deliver…" She pulled another note out from the belt of her dress, "These!" She held out the note with her bare hand, Jack gently slid it out without making contact and read it… And the more he read it, the more painful it was. All those people, including the King and Queen… and his fair friend who appeared so delighted in front of him, "Jack, I really want you to be there!" Elsa sounded so giddy that it was tormenting. She even appeared desperate, "It'd mean a lot to me… If I have to present in front of all those people again, I'd feel better if you were there!" Jack winced, "I feel less afraid with you—Ah, I don't know." She played with her hair; some short bangs had fallen loose from her bun. But what the seventeen year old snow king was baffled by was that he was actually important to her!

She truly saw him in the light he'd always wanted to be seen in, but never thought he would be. Jack didn't want to break her heart… He loved seeing her smile, and he knew that once he was with her, he'd lose himself and forget his troubles. Jack smiled, "I'll definitely be there!"

"Oh, Jack…" Elsa pointed a finger, "You can't exactly wear…" She gestured to his entire outfit, his white shirt and brown vest with the poncho and brown pants and boots, the frost covering his poncho and boots seemed to go unnoticed, "That." She bluntly said, "It has to be formal." He was in trouble now! How does he explain he lives in an ice kingdom up on the mountains? Let alone, he had to wash those three-year-old clothes by rejuvenating them with his own frost?

"Well…"

"Don't worry." Elsa shook her head, "My maid Gerda can sneak you in and maybe fit you into one of my father's old suits—he's not much taller than you." She scratched her chin and grinned, "In fact, _I'm_ not that much taller than you!"

Jack smirked, "Listen up here, _one inch_!" He reminded, just one darned inch that would make him equal height. Elsa turned away and crossed her arms—even when she was being mischievous, she still looked so elegant.

"Snow White." She mocked his pale skin.

"Freckles!" Jack laughed; Elsa had a light dusting of freckles that were hardly noticeable—which he did. Of course he shouldn't speak so soon; he had some freckles as well. When the two young adults finished playfully taunting one another, they walked out by the docks of the fjords and looked at the sun. They sat under it and Elsa held a hand up, shielding the blinding light. Jack had a strange relationship with heat—he never truly felt _cold_, but never warmth either. Such as sitting directly in the sun in seventy degree weather, he didn't absorb the radiance like others did, nor could he feel it. He was just aware of its presence. However, if it were sunny enough, snow created from his magic could still melt like any other, depending on how powerful it was.

"I could really use some snow in my face right now!" Jack's heart skipped a beat… That is until he realized Elsa was joking, "God, I miss winter so much… I can't believe it's months away."

Jack's eyes widened, "You like winter?"

"Mhm." The pretty woman nodded, "Even though I get sick of it after a while, I always miss it when it's gone. Every time the first snow of the year falls, it's always magical." She wasn't paying attention, but Jack's face had lit up with delight.

"…Really?" He looked at his hands, realizing how happy he could make her—how happy Sophie was until she… No! Never again!

"Wanna know what I could really use now?" He listened to her as he closed his hands and looked away from them, "Some nice, refreshing watermelon!"

Jack thought of all the yummy foods Pitch would bring to him, "Watermelon's good, but I like some nice juicy cucumbers."

"All sliced up and ready to be thrown in your mouth?" So Elsa knew her food too, huh? Jack could go on for hours about food, the conversation went on naturally, the eighteen year old blonde laughed, "When I was a child, I always loved a sandwich with some cold cuts."

"What's wrong with them now?"

"Well, I like them now for breakfast, but I need something on the side, like a fruit or something."

"Like tomatoes…" Jack sighed heavenly, now craving some. But Elsa still had an objection.

"_Grilled_ tomatoes." The woman smiled mischievously, as if she'd won the argument, but Jack shook his head and was tempted to splash some of the ocean water in her face… But he couldn't touch _anything_ without hurting it…

Jack managed to get through the day without any problems or fears. He walked with Elsa back towards the castle as the sun was setting; the ball was set to be two nights later, Gerda and the maids working rapidly on the Princess's new dress, "You are coming, right Jack?" Elsa nervously played with her hands, gingerly keeping from looking at his crystal-like eyes. Jack couldn't deny it anymore—he _wanted_ to go, to maybe fill that void that only warmth could. To find peace and at last, show Elsa he wasn't a strange young man that only socialized with her and her only. Jack wanted to say 'yes', but he couldn't. But he was just as scared to say 'no.' He didn't have any more courage at that moment to say anything and he swallowed his tongue.

He opened his mouth to speak, but held it agape, "Ugh." Was all that came out, but the Princess misheard him and looked up. Worried, he took a step farther to the side, away. "I-I…" He sighed and stopped, "Elsa, I'd love to go…" The woman was smarter than she already appeared and raised a disappointed brow.

"But…?"

Jack hated how easily he could be read. Frustrated, he bit his lip and continued, "But I can't. I'm not cut out for this kind of life style." He turned away.

"What do you mean?" She didn't even bother to continue back into the castle, Elsa demanded an answer.

"I can't be around people." Jack announced, using the most stern voice he could muster. It reminded the Princess of her father, which she didn't like, until the young man felt guilty and softened his expression, "I get scared, Elsa." He finally released the truth, surprising her, "I get scared of what'll happen…" He felt his body temperature dropping and held himself, "When I'm around people." He couldn't let himself be exposed and he held it in. It felt like a snake that wanted to burst free from his chest but someone kept pulling the chains that were holding it tighter, and it _hurt_.

After a beat, he heard a soothing voice, "I'll be there." Jack didn't know why, but instead of making him even more afraid, it calmed him and he turned around, "I'll make sure nothing goes wrong." She even put her fingers to her heart as a sign or sincerity. Jack said nothing, but his earnest eyes were enough words for her to show that he trusted her. Without another word exchanged between the two, they bid each other bye until the ball. Elsa would be helping prepare everything the next day, giving Jack a day to spend at home… Wherever that was supposed to be.

It was nightfall when Elsa finished her nice, warm bath and dried her hair; she was ready for bed. Only dressed in a baby blue nightgown and bloomers. She stared out the window, the curtains being left open for the first time in forever. She finally had a friend. She finally had a reason to want to anticipate the sunrise. Sighing deeply, unable to wait for the night after the next. Crawling into bed, Elsa fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Jack was too tired to trudge all the way up the mountains, so he found his way up into a tree and rested on the branch. He'd see Pitch the next day, knowing he could give him good advice and comfort for the next night. Jack watched as the full moon rose and would soon drift to sleep. In Arendelle's castle, where the royal family was resting, something odd was happening… On Elsa's window, frost was forming on the thick glass and was able to crack through and reach the inside. Slowly trailing up the walls, it rose in large spikes taller than the room itself, the sleeping young woman bundled up tightly; unaware of what could possibly be happening.

The trail of brisk frost made it up the legs of her bed and came to life… In the shape of a clawed hand it hovered over her unsuspecting body and prepared itself. It forcefully pounced on her when Jack jerked upright with a gasp. Eyes wide and full of fear, he breathed heavily, rushing out of the dream. His heart pounded, the branch he'd been sleeping on was coated with ice. Jack calmed himself and repeated that it was over. Just as he cupped his head in his hands, he saw something move. Just below him, something quickly darted out of sight.

Dropping down from the branch, he crept farther into the forest where he'd heard the noise. Unsure if he was alone, Jack kept on guard. Then darting past him, a large horse made of black sand let out a fierce scream. It was on its hind legs about to knock the man unconscious, as he backed away with fear.

"Whoa, whoa!" A familiar voice called, "Easy girl!" Pitch Black emerged from the shadows and calmed the Night Mare, "Easy…"

"Pitch…?" Had _he _done that? Turning dreams into nightmares was his specialty… But why to him? The steed was calmed and the tall, dark man turned around.

"Jack? Is that you?" He saw the grin on his face, he _knew _it was him. Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Did you do that?" It had been a while since Pitch had been able to create a full bodied horse with his magic; something wasn't right. Jack saw the man nod and shook his head in disbelief, "Why?" He paced around, "Is this your idea of some kind of sick joke?"

"It was a warning, Jack!" He yelled sternly, petting his Nigh Mare's muzzle, "I couldn't let you forget the real issue here." The young man gave him a hateful glare, as if he wasn't worried already! "That ball you intend to go to will end in tragedy! Don't you know what could happen?"

"I do!" He refuted, unfortunately, "I do…" He turned away—Pitch sensed his bitterness and, despite the pain it gave him, _had _to continue.

"It's your choice, Jack." He reminded, talking to him like the older brother Jack thought of him to be, "You still want to go, fine." He said cheerfully, "Have a grand time with Elsa and her subjects… Just know what any accident could cause."

"Nothing will happen!" Jack turned around with twisted fear in his eyes, "I won't let anything happen." Normally Pitch would be proud and tell him that he had the perfect attitude… But desperate times call for tragic measures.

"Who's to say it won't?" He began to descend into the shadows and vanish, "Don't be the monster you fear you are, Jack." And he was gone. The Night Mare had disappeared too. The area grew quiet again and Jack Frost was alone. He heard the sounds of crackling when he saw that he froze the spot he was standing in, his hands were coated with frost. Pitch had a point—but if he didn't go, Elsa would be alone too… Just like he always was.

"Don't be the monster you fear you are…" He mumbled to himself. Monster, he said over and over, monster.

He ended up spending the next day looking at Arendelle instead of going back to the palace like he planned. Jack saw everyone already baking, making new clothes and wrapping gifts to exchange for the celebration. It seemed Arendelle took any little reason they could to celebrate; of course not losing their land was a reasonable event. He kept peaking at the top window in Arendelle's castle… For some reason he could swear he kept seeing Elsa smiling from it, but every time he did a double-take, she was gone. He had to stop wasting time—he had to work on controlling his powers.

Jack spent that day in the woods; he placed both his hands on a tree trying to keep from anything freezing. Unfortunately, the tree would soon be glittering with ice and frost. He tried everything, but it seemed no matter how focused he was on hiding it, his powers still found a way out. If he wasn't so damn nervous… Okay, focus. He told himself, "Get it together… It's tomorrow night." It was only when his bare hands touched anything… Gloves! Gloves would do the trick. Maybe if that suit Gerda was supposed to let him borrow had a pair of gloves, he wouldn't have anything to worry about. But how would he explain frost that came through his boots? God, one thing at a time!

Jack told himself not to panic, nothing has gone wrong. Don't let it show. Don't be the monster you fear you are. Veil it, no one can know!

…

The next evening came all too soon; everyone was full of vigor and waiting outside the castle doors. Jack was able to get past the crowd and sneak into the garden—the very place where he'd first seen Elsa. He looked around, hoping Elsa would've known he'd be coming in through there, "Psst!" Much to his luck, he saw her—she waved him inside, where Gerda rushed him past everyone else and upstairs. The entire time Gerda went through the men's dressing room closet, Jack stood in a stiff manner, refraining from touching anything. Elsa, meanwhile, was readying somewhere else.

"It looks like you're our first guest tonight!" She called from the walk-in closet space, "Elsa's told me all about you. She was so worried you wouldn't be coming." And she had every right to be—Jack had to take a breath, he'd been holding it in for so long!

"How many people will be at this party, Miss?" Gerda came out with a white suit with gold epaulettes draped over her arm, she also found some white pants and black boots to match—much nicer boots than the village ones he had. She handed them to him without giving him time to react. They were in his arms and she rushed back to the closet.

"Don't you know it's a kingdom-wide event? Hang on, let me get you an under-shirt!" Jack looked at the white suit he was holding—it felt silky, which was odd… He didn't remember the last time he felt silk, or if he ever felt it at all! Gerda walked out with a yellow undershirt.

"Uh-um…" He stuttered, stepping away from her, "Would you happen to have any… gloves?" Gerda blinked; Guess he has a thing about germs!

"Why yes I do… Let me find a pair of white ones." She handed him the load of clothes and went _back_ into the closet again. Jack didn't feel comfortable in the expensive clothes… He looked at his reflection on the window, feeling so out of place with his frosty, villager clothing hanging on the coat hanger. He saw the crowds of people just eager to charge in and celebrate—Arendelle just loved to celebrate. Jack didn't share the happiness that ran through the kingdom, just worry.

"It's for Elsa." He whispered allowed, "Do this for Elsa." As Jack looked at the gloves, which gave him comfort, the door opened, startling him.

"Jack?" It was Gerda again, "Elsa is all dolled up and ready to see you." Jack's heart leaped, he was actually excited to see how she dressed up. He walked out the hallway to see… the hallway, "Elsa?" The elderly maid called. She got a cross look and peaked around the corner, "You look wonderful, don't be shy!" She grabbed the eighteen year old Princess's hand and brought her out around the corner. Jack's eyes glittered when he saw her.

Elsa, in a teal dress with black sleeves, a black sweet-heart bodice with bronze lacing, her hair back in a French braided crown twist bun, blushed and smiled abashedly. She had long matching socks and black half-inch heel shoes on. Her lips were painted with magenta lipstick and she had on grayish-pink eye shadow… As if she weren't beautiful enough. The words were on his lips, _you look beautiful!_ But were trapped on his tongue, "Whoa…" The Princess worried.

"Does it look bad?"

"No no! Not at all!" Jack waved his hands, still insecure about whether the gloves would change anything. Elsa stepped closer as Gerda walked down to the ballroom.

"I'm so glad you came, Jack." He stepped away as she got closer, "It means a lot-"

"Yes, erm-I know." He was afraid—and he was sure Elsa could see right through him! He turned around. The Princess was sure he was just as nervous as he was, but she smiled.

"You look like a Prince." She meant those few words that would mean so much in Jack's heart. Unable to keep from smiling, he faced her.

"You do too." He blurted out, "Whoa, _not _a Prince, I mean you look like a Princess… Which you _are_." Elsa laughed, "You _are_ a Princess." Jack slid his hand down his face, embarrassed of his awkwardness—it was embedded within him. She thought about kissing his cheek, but that'd be too much… Maybe what she had planned later would be a better way to show her gratitude. She fixed her bangs that were swept to the left side of her forehead and heard her father's voice.

"That's the King." She held her hands together.

"Your father?" Jack jokingly corrected her.

"It's time." The blonde sighed, "I'll meet you in the ballroom!" She called as she rushed down the stairs. Where was the ballroom exactly? This would be interesting… Maybe he could make some room in his ice castle for a ballroom. Maybe one day, Elsa would find out the truth and accept him—then they could dance up there all they wanted. But that was a distant fantasy, as he remembered _why_ he was even wearing gloves. Veil it. No one can know.

Everything seemed to be going well, Jack had yet to meet Queen Agnes and King Erlend, but upon catching a glimpse of them, when he saw Elsa talking to them, the resemblance was uncanny—she had her mother's face, her father's height genes. The blue-eyed young man grew pleasantly suspicious when he saw the woman with the same color eyes peaking at him as she spoke to her parents. At one point, she even paused and waved at him, with Erlend wincing to get a look at the boy, and Agnes smiling. Jack chuckled and waved back.

He began to feel more content as the night went on, despite not really talking to anyone other than Elsa or the maids about the castle's structure. That was one thing Jack loved to do growing up, study geometry and architecture—how else did he build that castle with his own set of magic? Festive music filled the air and men and women danced together across the ballroom, hand in hand. When it all stopped for a moment, he watched as the royal family joined at the end of the Great Hall. All so regal and poised, with faces of confidence. After everyone applauded, Elsa smiled giddily and gestured to Jack to come over.

"Mom, dad…" She cleared her throat, "This is the man I met yesterday," She lied, "And wanted you to meet, Jack Frost." Jack, though nervous, bowed.

"Your majesties…" Erlend observed him.

"Where did you ever get that hair? And don't you ever go outside?" It was always a father's job to make a male acquaintance uncomfortable. Agnes back-handed his chest.

"Your hair is like snow. And you have the prettiest blue eyes!" She rephrased what he 'meant' to say. He stood up straight again, surprised the King didn't recognize one of his old suits.

"Ahem, thank you." He couldn't look either one of them in the eyes. Elsa was just as nervous, though she was able to swallow it since he was there. Elsa pointed a finger.

"Jack, there's something I'd like to ask you." She'd already received her parents' blessings. She curtsied to them to show that she'd be walking off. Elsa escorted Jack to the middle of the ballroom, "Jack?" She played with her hands; he didn't know why, but knowing she was just as nervous made him smirk.

"Elsa?" She was closer to him than he liked, but it didn't faze him… Not yet.

"It's a Norwegian gesture to dance with each other's opposite cheeks on another." She blushed and Jack raised a brow… Not liking where this is going.

"I know…" He didn't want to seem rude, but he added his jokester attitude to his next statement, "What's your point?"

"Well, I…" She turned her back towards him, rubbing her hands on her arms, feeling so bashful, "I really um…" She'd never danced with anyone before, let alone someone she considered a Prince. Finally, she looked into his eyes and smiled, "I want you to dance with me, Jack." She held out her bare hand, fingers so nice and elegant, waiting to curl up with his. Jack gulped.

"Oh-O-Okay." He went to take her hand, remembering the gloves would help.

"Wait." She waved a hand, "It's customary to hold each other bare-handed." They weren't _her _rules, and Jack didn't want to seem disrespectful. No one was really paying any attention… Just stay calm. Jack nodded and went for the gloves; his face couldn't get any paler with how worried he was. Even though his heart began to race, he felt colder and colder. Taking a sharp hiss of breath, one glove was off. He could see his hands shaking, thinking people from across the ballroom could notice. He didn't want to look at the Princess's eager expression—it would make him feel even more guilty! He went for the other, now his hands were bare, the powers exposed!

Elsa was nervous too, but for a much different reason. Her hand was still held out, waiting to be swept onto the dance area and show everyone what a wonderful friend she had found. Jack's shaking hand went to touch hers, but he could hear the shrieks of the village all over again. Sophie's thin yet soaring cry of his name. He retracted and shuddered violently, alarming Elsa.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes widened. He went for the gloves, forgetting they were stuffed in the suit pocket. But he didn't had time, Jack had to explain.

"Elsa, I'm sorry. But I-" He saw the confusion in her eyes, what other explanation did he have, "I-I can't." He blurted out with pain in his eyes. Jack watched as Elsa retracted her hand and blinked.

"I-I don't understand, I'm confused."

"It's fine… You wouldn't understand."

"_What _wouldn't I understand exactly?" She became furious, as did Jack—but with himself. He started to turn away.

"Nothing! Ugh!" He turned away completely, pinching the bridge of his nose; he'd made a huge mistake, he had no place there. Elsa softened her voice and went to touch his shoulder.

"Jack, I know this isn't what you're used to." He felt her hand coming for his shoulder. He could freeze her! The teenager leapt away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He shouted, but his tone made it come out all wrong. The music halted, Elsa backed away, confused and startled. Everyone around the room was looking, including the worried Queen and angry King. Jack folded his arms and saw the hurt in Elsa's eyes. Unable to apologize, Jack allowed her to see the regret in his own eyes and went to flee the ballroom, then the castle, then Arendelle. For good.

What had gotten into him?

Elsa went to call out his name, but Erlend held her shoulder, "Hey you!" Jack was afraid to disrespect the King, but he kept walking without turning back, "No one disrespects my daughter like that!"

"Father, it's fine." She whispered bitterly, feeling rejected and cheated. Jack fought to gain control of his body temperature and his aching emotions as he listened to the argument.

"What good is it rejecting the Princess's hand in respect? What harm has she done to you?!"

Jack couldn't take it anymore; he spun around and swung his hand, "Just… SHUT UP!" Ice came spiraling from his hand, coating the floor of the ballroom and frothing up into frosted plumes. Jack's face turned blue as he held his breath in. His eyes wide and empty, he looked around at the people's horrified faces.

"What on earth?" Someone exclaimed. Erlend had his hand tightly on Elsa's shoulder, having snatched her back and away from the spikes. Jack looked at the Princess, a hand tightly gripped on her father's chest, the other wrapped around him. Her face… she looked at his eyes with horror, she was holding her breath too, gritting her teeth. His ice powers that now covered the floor would separate them there, it would separate them forever.

Before anyone could say anything, Jack pushed through the doors and practically flew from the ballroom.

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**Souls_&_Swords: Please leave your feedback or reviews, this was definitely the longest chapter so far and it took me hours to write. Thank you everyone who has followed the story so far :)**


	9. Enchanted

Jack pounded through the front doors, there were people talking in the castle's main lot. No one seemed to notice him, but the sudden burst of the doors had caught their attention. He heard people coming towards him—he had to go. As he ran through the crowd, ducking between people and trying to keep out of there way, he took off the white suit and threw it to the side, still the long sleeved shirt underneath. His old clothes were inside? Who cares?!

Jack kept from touching anyone, he was going to weave his way out of Arendelle where his face would never be seen again, but a man halted him, "Young man, what's the problem?" Didn't his face say it enough?! He couldn't get him to move nor could he weasel past him. Jack had nowhere to go.

"Jack!"

No…

Elsa had rushed to the front doors with her parents and the castle guards behind her, "Elsa, get away, he's dangerous!" He tried to heave her back inside, but she disregarded his warnings.

"Wait! You don't have to-"

Jack's eyes were opened so wide they could scream—a blood curdling shriek, "No, no, no!" He shouted, "You need to stay away from me! You all need to stay AWAY!" He opened his palm and ice blasted before him. It impaled Elsa just above her chest and was swallowed into her body. She cried out in heavy shock and pain, like her heart was in her throat.

The Queen shouted her name as Elsa held her heart in agony and fell to her knees, gagging and breathing. Jack's eyes teared up, but it this pain was too deep for tears, this fear was too much to scream. But his mouth was open, he was sure he was screaming, but he remained silent. Erlend saw his daughter in agony and he looked back up at the monster.

"WHAT IN HELL ARE YOU?!"

Jack didn't know himself… He didn't want to know either. He looked at Elsa suddenly recover and look him in the eyes one final time. He saw one tear that fell from her right eye due to the shocking pain. He'd done this…

Jack shook his head, silently telling her goodbye, and he ran.

"Wait, Jack!" She tried to return to her feet, "No!" Agnes refused to let her leave and grabbed her shoulders. People rushed out of the way as Jack Frost raced out of the gates, having a long, painful journey back to the mountains ahead of him. Everyone was in a frenzy, talking of the 'monster' who tried to kill the Princess. Elsa didn't cry, but she looked at the path he'd fled in with a heavy heart. She looked at the high mountains where it there was always snow.

"We need to get you inside!" Agnes tried to push her into the castle, but she fought again it.

"No mother, I'm fine-" They were interrupted when sough came tumbling in through the kingdom. It was so unnatural that it had to be some sort of side effect of the man's powers. But then they heard a maniacal laughter from a much deeper voice. Erlend demanded that the women get inside safe and brought the guards out with him. He watched as a tidal wave of what looked like black sand prepared to engulf Arendelle.

So Jack Frost wasn't the only freak around there. The guards took their swords and prepared to fight it. Only Erlend saw the tall, dark man on a horse riding the sands, he smiled eerily at the kingdom and unleashed his wrath. Ghouls and other creatures made by the black magic taunted and tormented the people of the kingdom. Their weapons had no effect, it would slice them in two, and they'd stitch themselves back up.

People panicked and tried to defend themselves; some rushed back into their houses but were blocked off by the Night Mares. Erlend took one of his guard's swords and tried to fight, too stubborn to believe there was no use. Agnes and Gerda rushed Elsa upstairs.

"Run her a hot bath, she's ice cold! She could freeze!"

"I'm fine!" Gerda went to help undo her hair but Elsa smacked her arm away, "Gerda, I'm fine!" She hissed.

"I never want you socializing with a stranger again! You're never leaving this castle until it's safe."

"Mother, no! He's not a monster!" Gerda tried to calm her down and dragged her arm in the direction of her room, "Didn't you see how afraid he was?"

"He tried to kill you!" Agnes couldn't stand the headstrong trait Elsa had inherited from her father. No matter who it was from, it was sickening.

"Mother, he—Uggghhhh!" She groaned, trying not to scream as she pulled on her hair, the ribbon keeping the bun together coming loose. Reasoning with fearful parents was absolutely frustrating. And now Gerda wasn't even defending her. Elsa couldn't help but act childish in that moment. The elderly maid then escorted her to her room. The Princess immediately was at her window, watching the mayhem below.

"Elsa, I-"

"Whatever's happening down there is not his fault!" Gerda couldn't stand to see her little Princess in danger; what Elsa didn't understand was her parents couldn't either, "He's probably up on those mountains where it's cold." She turned back to the woman, moving around so frantically and quickly that her ribbon finally fell lose and her hair fell into a long, wavy side braid, cascading over her shoulder. She fixed her wisps' of bangs and pushed them out of her face, now looking more wild than ever.

"Elsa… I don't want to see you get hurt." The look of disbelief on the Princess's face was like bounding and gagging her over a fire.

"No, Gerda." She was about to go into full on begging mode, but the elderly woman, with regret, stepped out and apologized. She closed Elsa's door and quickly locked it. The blonde couldn't believe the sudden changes of everything. Looking around, Elsa took an umbrella out from a large vase and tried to use the handle to bolt the door open. That didn't work; she'd only chipped the wood. Elsa found a hair barrette and tried to pick the lock—she had no knowledge of such and only bent the hairpin.

Not caring of the danger of darkness down below, Elsa had one last idea. She rushed to her window and tried to give it a good push to open the heavy doors. As she grunted, surprised by the strength of the glass French windows, she heard crackling and quickly snatched her hands away. On the window, she watched as frost just crawled up and imprinted itself on to the glass. Could Jack still be around? No… She pressed her hand on the frost and realized it was on the inside—it came right off on her palm and fingers! What's stranger is that, her hand wasn't numb from the cold.

Her heart skipped a beat, looking at her hand print on the window one more time, she hesitantly went to touch the wooden banister underneath the window and—ice formed from her finger tips and a sheet of it bloomed over the wood. As Elsa slowly processed what Jack's icy strike had done, she opened her mouth wide to scream.

A scream down below overpowered anyone else's as a woman saw a strange figure with a weapon made of solid, dark material came closer. Pitch's policy was not to kill anyone, but to embed fear so that he could remain immortal. He was currently a shadow, watching as the King boldly defended the woman and finally sliced the creature enough that it retreated. Pitch Black chuckled and Erlend looked around, ready to protect his people.

"How bold of you, your highness." Erlend had his sword, ready to fight, "I'm afraid that won't be necessary." He gently pushed the blade aside and conjured up his own weapon, "You can't kill _fear_."

"No… But you can overpower it!" He went to fight him, but Pitch himself vanished as another creature of darkness took his place in battle. He'd teleported himself high up on the hills where he could see the fight. From next to him, a Night Mare brought Jack's regular clothes draped over its back. It gently snorted and pointed its head up towards the mountain trail. Feeling a glint of sadness and a twinge of regret even, he looked up the monstrous trail that Jack had fled all by himself.

The aurora borealis presented colorful lights chasing each other across the sky over the sparkling ice castle. Inside the top room, the aura was a deep red with Jack's rising heart-break. He mourned grievously on the ground, leaning into his staff to keep him from falling off of his knees. The ice around him had changed and grew into sharp spikes. He had the tips of his nails in his mouth—it was currently the only thing that was keeping him from weeping. Jack felt his throat swell up just when Pitch arrived with his old clothes, standing at the door. This was his fault… Pitch got what he wanted; to live. Now he wanted his little brother-figure to be happy again. Now he had a chance to make him happy again—just as when they met they were in a similar situation, if not the exact same.

On the way up on his Night Mare, Pitch found himself witnessing the maze of icicles he'd made on the way up. Sharp ice daggers stuck out from everywhere, clearly showing Jack was in a perilous state of mind, "Jack?" The young man opened his eyes, still red and teary, he barely moved, only to show Pitch he acknowledged him, "This wasn't your fault." He half-admitted, "No one can understand the beauty of your magic." Jack looked with his eyes around the room again, not the same as it was before, "I was afraid this would happen. You'd get hurt and nearly hurt others."

Jack had a feeling Pitch was there the entire time, but couldn't intervene, not in _that_ situation, "Did you see the way she looked at me?" Elsa's horrified face still flashed in his mind, the shocked cry that escaped her throat was now able to make his stomach turn more than Sophie's cry had. It was sickening. Pitch could feel his sin tearing at his heart; though it had stopped beating, it could still break. He approached him and placed the clothes next to him.

"Here. Put these on and it never happened." He tried to convince him that they could start over. Pitch would even disintegrate the royal suit himself. What felt like centuries later when Jack finally had the strength and motivation, he redressed himself, the room he used the staff to reshape the room back to the way it was. Before going back down stairs to see Pitch, now his only remaining comrade again, he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the walls. For a minute, he thought he saw himself with brown eyes, fair skin, and brown hair. But it wasn't to be—he was still Jack Frost… He was pretty sure he was always Jack Frost; a monster to be. As he slumped down the stairs, it hit him that he'd never see Elsa's face again… What had his ice done to her? He felt sick just thinking about it. The Lord of Darkness was waiting for him at the bottom floor.

"Jack, I want you to know that whatever happens, I'm on your side." There was no response, "You don't have to live in fear anymore." He went to him and held his face, "We can embrace what we are together." Jack raised a brow, suddenly changing his attitude.

"What do you mean?"

Pitch gestured to the throne, "Look at what we can do." He raised his arms, praising Jack's castle, "Look at what you _alone_ can do!" Jack winced, slowly getting more and more confused, "What goes better together than cold and dark? The bitter icy darkness?!" Jack couldn't process what he was saying.

"What are you talking about?"

"We can live out our lives as what we are _if_ we wreak _fear_ in every corner!" He smiled. Jack shook his head, denying everything he had to offer, "Think about it, no one can hurt you anymore!" That was Pitch's one hope.

"So _I_ have to hurt people?" He glared at him angrily, though sure it was a misunderstanding they'd forget later, "No, Pitch… You said it yourself, 'Don't be the monster you fear you are.'" He went to walk back upstairs, but Pitch stopped him.

"Well now you are." He stopped and felt a twinge of realization, "Think about it. I'll be waiting outside." As said, the shadow slipped out the doors and waited by the edge where he could see Arendelle, now calm and empty—people cowering in fear in their homes. Elsa stood in front of the full body mirror, having finally realized what was happening was true, she wove her braid with snowflake incrustations, trying to practice. Her wisps of bangs were now slicked back on her head. It was strange how naturally it seemed to come to her. In her head, something flexed and using the magic was already second hand.

She had to plan her escape, but Elsa wanted to wear something less constraining… Why not have a little fun before the adventure? Going with her instincts, Elsa disintegrated the dress with her ice magic and conjured up a new dress—an off the shoulder dress with a crystalline bodice and long gown and a right, knee-high slit. How convenient, she thought. As Elsa finished on the blue-powdered sleeves, she made a snow-flake patterned trail cape of gossamer frost. All as a test to make sure she knew what she was doing—she finished the new look with ice heels.

Elsa shook her head, she felt ready. Knowing it was still too risky going out the door, she was able to shove the windows open. She looked down at the horrifying drop. The blonde knew what she had to do! She quickly took the duvet out of the sheet and wrapped it around the leg of her bed. She pushed the bed closer to the window—she didn't want to risk anyone knowing what Jack had accidentally done, so Elsa was being old fashioned in her escape. She draped the sheet down the balcony, the length of them would lessen the fall; she hoped.

Oh God, what was she doing? Finally gaining her nerve, she began to climb over the balcony, practically clawing onto the sheets. She hoped no one would see her—heaven forbid anyone walked into her room! As she made it down, she began to dangle. Elsa took a breath and looked behind her at the mountains. Jack had to be there! She had to make sure he was alright! She was suddenly dropped downward as the sheet began to tear. Damn it! She was still too far up, she had to keep pulling it down somehow. Elsa gently pulled, getting closer to a safer height. But it tore once again. Panting and realizing she had nothing more to lose at this point, she quickly used one hand to create a mound of fluffy snow to land in.

When the sheet finally tore, Elsa still gasped, only to land in the pillow-like mass. Oddly enough, she still didn't feel anything cold. Tossing what was left of the blanket aside, she rushed out the gates and up the mountain trail.

…

Jack finally opened the castle doors and walked down the staircase. He saw Pitch, as he said, looking at the stars, watching the aurora cascade across the sky. He held onto his staff for comfort, getting closer only made him more worried. The snow was so deep that his footsteps went without a sound—sneaking up on someone would be a cinch. But not for Pitch Black, "Well? Did you make up your mind?" He had no doubts Jack would be on his side, then he'd be able to rebuild the young man, they'd make a world that was entirely dark and cold.

"I thought about it…" Jack fiddled with his staff, completely aware of what he wanted, "And I don't want anyone else to fear me." Pitch turned his head, completely aghast, "Too many people are already afraid and look where I am now. Imagine if the entire world feared me, they'd kill me!"

"It's because they if fear you enough, then they won't come after you!"

"No one will accept what I can do, you said-"

"What I said is Jack, that you are a monster. Embrace it! Even your pretty little Princess is afraid!"

Jack felt hurt at first… But then it hit him. His eyes narrowed full of… Full of resentment, "Wait…" Pitch had been caught, there was nothing he could do about it but face it like a man, "You _wanted_ them to fear me!"

"I was dying, Jack!" He tried to explain, but Jack stepped away and held out his staff—oh god, the betrayal, "I needed fear!"

"So you chose ME?" He growled.

"If I vanished, you would've had no one!" Pitch tried to step closer to Jack, but the young man held his staff out as a weapon, appalling the dark lord. He couldn't believe he had to nerve to stand up to him like so. While it filled him with pride, he couldn't leave Jack alone with people possibly coming after him.

"Get back, Pitch!" Elsa was almost up the mountain—she was surrounded by whipping gusts of snow and leaving a trail of footprints behind. Jack had to be there somewhere! She continued up higher. Meanwhile, Jack wouldn't let Pitch get close—every time he tried to take a step closer, Jack would thrust the rod forward. After at least three more times of seeing Jack's aggression, Pitch knew he'd need to take it to the next level.

"Alright, you want to play rough?!" He prepared a powerful blast of black magic and hurled it forward. Jack dodged it and shot blasts of ice towards him, quickly redirected by Pitch's magic sand. Elsa finally reached the peak of the mountain, but the first thing she saw was a cloud of snow. She quickly hid around the rocky corner and waited for everything to clear. Much to her delight, she saw Jack! But as she was about to call out his name, he saw a paler, more frightening man behind him, "Do you see what you are doing?" Jack heard, "You're turning against your own friend!"

"If you're my friend, then you'll leave me out of this 'fear' crap!" Elsa had no idea what was happening, all she knew was that Jack could be in danger!

"Fine… You want to be left out of it? Done." He nodded. Jack loosened his posture and nodded. Satisfied, he prepared to lock himself in the castle for good. Pitch knew if he stayed there alone, the men would search for him and take him alive… Alive… If he could make them think he was gone, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming after Jack. Waiting for the right moment, he pounced Jack and grabbed the staff. The magic Jack had imbued in it made it a part of him.

Knocked to the ground, he looked up and saw the staff in Pitch's hands, "I'm sorry Jack, but this is for your own good!" He snapped it in two—Jack screamed, feeling something tear in his abdomen. Elsa gasped, frightened, fearing she'd get caught; she whirled back around the corner once again. Pitch watched as Jack slowly lost consciousness. He'd only remain so until he repaired the staff. This was only so maybe someone could find him and think he was dead. In Pitch's mind, he hoped to keep him safe, "Forgive me, Jack." He grimaced and dropped the two halves of wood next to him, leaving him in the snow.

Elsa watched Pitch Black vanish into the cold, young night. Once she was sure he was gone, she rushed over to Jack and flipped him onto his back, "Jack?" She laid his head in her lap and tapped his cheek, "Jack? Can you hear me?!" She looked at the staff, broken in two and covered with frost. He was knocked out cold when it was broken; maybe fixing it would save him! She grabbed the two halves and pitted them together—nothing happened. She held them together tightly, hoping it would repair itself. Elsa would soon realize she'd have to do it herself and in no time, she used her newly given ice powers to mold the two pieces back together. Sighing with relief, she heard coughing from below her.

"Jack?" She rushed to him and held his cheek, waiting for him to respond. His blue eyes fluttered open, and as he adjusted his vision, he saw a beautiful snow queen before him, who looked strikingly similar to…

"Elsa?" Jack moaned, still regaining consciousness. He'd never seen her hair so loose and wild, a dress sparkling with icy beauty. Had she truly come looking for him? Or was this some dream his mind wanted to trick him with.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She dropped the staff and held his face, wanting to embrace him. But he panicked and backed away, suddenly reinvigorated.

"No, no, no! Elsa, don't touch me! I hurt you!" He held his hand out, refraining from letting her touch him.

"But Jack, you didn't… I'm fine." They stood up, he observed her new look—the dress was entirely made of ice and frost, her braid was kept together with snowflakes… Had… Had she made it?

"Aren't you freezing?"

Elsa played with her braid and bit her lip, "There's something you need to see…" Standing back, she created a flurry of snow from her hands, exactly as Jack could. Upon letting it drop to the ground, it refined the ice below them, leaving a puddle of sheer crystals. Jack panicked and backed away.

"Oh no…" He began to breathe rapidly, "Elsa, I-"

"Jack! You didn't do anything wrong!" She got closer, and for once, he allowed her too, "You can't hurt me." She reached for his hand, waiting for his approval. Jack didn't want to… All his life he'd worried about touching someone, freezing them or just in general giving them some sort of pain. Yet there was Elsa's hand, patiently waiting to touch his… She wasn't afraid; she wasn't calling him a monster. Finally, the hesitant teenager put his hand in hers… Gently, she placed his hand on her cheek—surprised by how warm he felt. Jack at last loosened his posture and he… He let it go. Jack took a deep breath and engulfed her in his arms.

Tightly clinging on, he buried his face into her neck. For the first time in three years, he wasn't afraid to hold someone like that. Elsa smiled, though startled by his sudden burst of affection, and gently returned the hug. After a moment of holding each other in the quiet snow, Elsa looked up and finally saw what the earlier dust had covered, "Jack! Is _that_ where you live?" She let go and widened her eyes. He looked up at the castle.

"Yeah… I've lived here for three years."

"It's beautiful." She saw the staircase and glided her hand across the banister—it was so smooth and slippery. Jack was humbled by his work and smiled.

"Thank you. When you're up here all alone, you don't have to worry about hurting anybody." He joined Elsa next to the staircase. That's when she had a moment of realization.

"Oh." She stepped away, "I see now." The Princess sighed. Jack was still entranced by her new appearance, even her makeup had changed. Her eye shadow had become a darker, glittery purple and her lips were a dark pink. Maybe it was the cold? Who cares? Wait a minute, she was saying something. He raised a brow in acknowledgement, "That's why you never let me get near you." She played with her hands, feeling like an idiot for not realizing something was wrong, "And why you wouldn't dance with me…" It then hit Elsa how protective and caring Jack was being, "You were trying to protect me!"

"It's all my fault."

"Jack, everyone's fine!" She reassured, albeit not being too positive on what had happened immediately after the incident, "You never have to worry again." Her gentle voice soothed him, but he was still full of doubt after Pitch's words. She approached him and held his shoulder, "Jack, would you teach me to do what you do?"

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**Souls_&_Swords: I recommend you guys listen to _Aurora Borealis _by Steven Price and _Moves Like an Ape, Looks Like A Man _from the _Tarzan_ soundtrack =) Both are very wonderful and suit the chapter. _Aurora Borealis_ suits during Jack's mourning and the second track (skip to about fifty seconds in) suits Elsa and Jack's moment :) Okay, I'll move on now. Haha**


	10. The Ice Dance

**Souls_&_Swords: You should all listen to _The Ice Dance _by Danny Elfman, from _Edward Scissorhands. _The track that made me love this couple and inspired this one scene!**

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Jack took Elsa farther down the mountain; since it was snowing up higher it'd be difficult to tell what was what. They were in a generally frosty area when they came across a pond, "This looks like a good spot." It wasn't cold enough for the pond to freeze over yet, so Jack planned to impress her by creating an ice rink. Elsa however, had a better idea. It was a beautiful night, and it was still pretty early—the moon was barely raised. She rushed over near the edge of the pond, Jack put his staff down, trying to catch up.

"I think I know how you can teach me." She took off her two-inch heels, which Jack had commented on were unnecessary earlier, since they made her look six feet tall. Back to her normal height and barefoot, she took advantage of being resistant to the cold and placed her foot onto the pond. It froze over, one stream of glittering frost at a time. Once it was completely frozen over, Elsa held her dress up and stepped onto it, making sure she had her balance.

"Are you sure this is how you want to learn?"

"It's not just that." She smirked playfully, "You owe me a dance!" Elsa waited adoringly for his reaction, until Jack hesitated.

"Elsa, I don't know. I mean after all this, it's not-" Because he talked with his hands, Elsa took the opportunity and grabbed them, dragging him onto the rink.

"Come on!" She deepened her voice jokingly as they both twirled hand in hand on the ice. Elsa was able to make it snow around them. Beautiful patterns of snowflakes drizzled lightly around them as they moved around the ice involuntarily as they span. At one point, Elsa had Jack raise his arm and twirl her. She twisted his arm around her torso and touched his chest. All with a smile on her face, so enchanted by how natural it felt. They waltzed across the rink and at one point Elsa let go, sliding away. Jack never realized how beautiful their powers were. They grabbed each other's hand once again and as they span and released again… Jack smiled… He was feeling like having some fun with this.

As the moon rose higher, Elsa and Jack created snow patterns with each other—tossing them in the air and bouncing them. Some came in the shapes, like a dolphin. It swam around Elsa and the dolphin tapped her nose with it's before it burst into little crystalline flakes. The more they continued on, the better Jack felt. He even willingly grabbed her hand and hip from behind and gently danced with her across the rink. Their beautiful winter was endless. Elsa raised her arms and twirled to catch the flakes, only to have a little slip. She was about to fall forward, but as Jack caught her, she landed on top of him on said ice ballroom.

She blew her bangs out of her face and they grinned at each other's clumsiness. Finally feeling as though she'd learned the jist of it, Jack took her back to the castle and showed her everything—the fountain and throne, his bedroom. Elsa was dazzled by what such a simple element could do… For Jack Frost, he created a home, "How long did all this take you?" She saw the frost blanket, and ice body, but the mattress was real.

"Not long at all. I had some help though." He tossed his staff in the air and caught it, setting it down. He was surprised by how stable Elsa had got it. She was busy still looking at the structure of everything.

She felt a little tight in that small room, "You know… I think this could use a little something." Jack shook his head and chuckled. He'd built a _castle_, what more could she want?

"Like what?"

"Like I don't know… Something so that you can see _everything_ from up here! Like a window!" Elsa said excitedly. Jack looked to the left side of his bed.

"Hmph." He scratched his chin, "I think I can make a little more than that." Jack raised his arms and created an arch-like doorway. He then added onto the ground below them, stretched outward, adding a rounded balcony. To finish it off, Jack rushed out and created a safety rail. He then swept his hand over it, refining the ice so that it was flawless. Elsa, highly impressed, quickly rushed to see the view, "You were right." They saw _everything;_ the moon, the stars… and far down below, a seemingly vacated Arendelle—the castle's lights were still on, "I remember when I first made it here and I saw that castle. I fell in love with it." Jack admitted, "I wanted a home just like it… So I made this. Here I can live in a castle but still be myself." Jack lamented, "Without hurting anybody."

Elsa stood next to her dearest friend and looked at her "kingdom" below, "I never realized how small Arendelle was. Now I realize I really was trapped inside." Jack turned to Elsa, who looked at her kingdom sadly, "When I was little, my parents never had time for me…" She remembered the eight-year-old little girl in a dark blue dress running down the hall with dolls in her hands, "Whenever I wanted someone to play with, they'd just pat my back and tell me go play by myself." She went on, "Gerda was my only playmate… She raised me better than my own parents. She'd always be the first one to have a tea party with me… To read me a bed-time story… To eat my meals with me." Sometimes her parents didn't even have time for _that_. Elsa slowly folded her arms in sadness, "But there were very few instances where Gerda had busy work… So I spent my time alone." She'd play with her dolls in the garden, spin around just to see her dress twirl, sometimes just lay out there, bored.

"I always hoped that one day I'd meet someone who'd listen to me… Someone like me." Elsa sighed, "Maybe I belong alone too."

"No!" Jack stepped closer, "You belong in Arendelle—they're your people! And your parents, they _love _you, Elsa!" He knew they'd be devastated if anything happened to her. The blonde exhaled and looked at her small home again. She walked inside without another word. Jack pouted and followed her in, leaving the view of Arendelle behind and shutting the doors. Though Jack worriedly tried to convince Elsa to go home, she refused. She told him of what had happened; that the village was attacked. Jack wasn't sure if she was any safer with him, but he wasn't going to make her walk back in the middle of the night.

He let her sleep on the bed while he made a frost pallet down on the floor. The two were both exhausted and slept through every gust of wind and sough that went on outside. Elsa eventually woke up from her deep sleep and saw light filtering into the room. The walls were pretty thick, so it was odd that this was happening; until she sat up and saw that Jack was on the new balcony, looking at the _early_ morning sunrise. Why was he up at this hour? Especially since how late it was when they fell asleep.

Elsa slipped her heels on and walked outside. She saw the young man deep in thought, not really looking at anything in particular, "You alright?" He was startled by her sudden presence, but he nodded.

"Yeah. Did I wake you up?" Elsa couldn't lie; she pursed her lips and nodded, "Sorry." She could see dark lines under his eyes—definitely in need of some sleep. The Princess worried if he'd stayed awake watching out for her.

"Why are you out so early?" She joined him at his side—the sunrise was actually beautiful, especially with the castle facing east.

"I don't know; I woke up." Jack shrugged.

"Did you sleep well?" Elsa had never seen the normally lively teenager like this. He shook his head.

"Fine. It's just-I… Bad dreams." He blinked his heavy eyes and set his elbows on the railing, "I really don't want to talk about it." Jack admitted, but Elsa felt horrible, like it was her fault. Had _she_ caused him pain? She didn't have the courage to go any farther into it, but to her surprised, the white-haired seventeen year old continued, "It was about how I even got here." He'd never told anyone but Pitch this story, "I was born with this gift, you see… My parents blame it on some weird lunar eclipse. And I was always locked up inside my home." Elsa's jaw dropped slightly, her eyes quickly fixed on him—he really did know her pain, "I didn't have anyone to play with either… But I eventually had a sister when I was eight years old."

"Sophie loved me more than anything… My family used to say love is what kept my powers in check—that I only have to worry about people who love me to accept me." He'd started to smile but it faded, "Well, three years ago… Sophie wanted to go outside and see the moon. So I went with her… It turned out; she wanted to play in the ice too. So I showed her my powers." Elsa smiled, thinking of how beautiful it was, "She loved it. And being six years old, she had so much energy!" He couldn't help but grin a little whenever he thought about his sister, "But Sophie started to hop on the frozen river, knowing I'd catch her before it could break… She went too fast and I missed and—Sh-She fell in."

There was a beat of silence, Elsa felt wind whip past them, as if Jack had created it on cue, "I grabbed her and pulled her out—she was fine, but after that… My family told me to never go near her again. I lost control and people saw and… I ran away." Elsa grit her teeth at how heavy her heart was—it was a stone in her breast. "That's when I came here, I found Pitch." Jack explained to Elsa that once he collapsed from exhaustion on the very mountain they were standing on, he woke up to Pitch's nursing, who'd brought him food. He'd brought him food ever since—he told Jack not to fear his gift and to release it. Then he remembered one day, when a blizzard hit, and not even Jack's magic could halt it. One day, Pitch had secretly visited Jack's old village.

"JACK!" He shouted over the raging sough, barely able to see Jack who'd came out of the castle to see him, "THERE'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!"

"Did you see my sister?"

"Your little sister?!" Pitch shouted, heavy despair in his yellow eyes, "I found your family dressed in all black at their home, but Sophie wasn't there!" Jack's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"I saw right through them what had happened! After you left, your sister got hypothermia!" Jack's eyes gained more and more shock and denial as he went on, "Jack I'm sorry… But Sophie is dead!"

"No…" Jack mumbled, he felt his knees crumpling, suddenly the white out began to slow its speed. Jack fell to his knees and bowed his head, "NOOOO!" His screamed so that his lungs bled. The blizzard that had been raging for an hour suddenly ceased; the snow hung in silent stillness… His grief had halted the storm. It was three years ago, not too long after he'd built his lavish palace. Pitch was the only one there to comfort him. Elsa was aghast at the pain he'd been through… It explained so much.

Her lips noiselessly said his name, but he went on, "After that… I was scared to leave the castle… I wouldn't even let Pitch touch me." For some reason, it seemed Jack's tears had been stilled that day too. He hadn't cried, perhaps his tears were frozen too… Like his icy heart that he was cursed with. Elsa knew that his pain would fade, but she also knew that Jack still wasn't ready to change his lifestyle, not after giving another person powers and frightening an entire village. "Pitch told me last night that I was a monster… That I should embrace it… It haunted me in my dreams."

There was a sweeping silence afterwards… Elsa felt like he'd finally opened up to her. And now that they both had icy magic, there were no worries when she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, resting her cheek on the back of his neck, trying to ease him… Jack hadn't forgotten his pain nor his guilt, but at least now, he released the burden of never speaking of it.


End file.
